Silhouette Lies
by Spectral Serenade
Summary: 13 years after Sunnydale is destroyed, a tragic death begins a chain of events that drastically change Buffy's world.
1. Chapter 1: Elegy

Disclaimer: None of the characters from the Buffyverse belong to me, they're owned by Joss Whedon and Co. Other characters however, came from my own overactive imagination!

Rating: T, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

Spoilers: Anything from cannon is fair game, however this doesn't follow anything that occurs in the comic series (Season 8).

Author's Note: Hello everyone! This is the first thing I'm posting here, so I thought I would say a quick hello... which I just did.  
A little bit about the story now. It's been about 9 years since the last time I wrote any Buffy fanfic, so first, I'd like to apologize if my characterization is a little rusty. To be completely honest with all you lovely readers, I lost interest in Buffy during the 6th Season, therefore I wrote this with very, very minimal knowledge of what occurred in the last season, and haven't included any characters from the later seasons of BtVS or AtS (simply because I don't feel like I know the characters well enough to write them accurately). I tried my best to not really mention any of the seasons unless necessary, so maybe it won't really matter! The premise of this story is a little bizarre... essentially, when the whole vampire craze started thanks to Twilight, I started to worry that with Hollywood's penchant for re-makes that someone would try to re-invent Buffy, and the thought of other actors playing the characters I grew up loving so much just terrified me! But then, this hare-brained idea for a story popped into my head and my evil muse who'd been on an extremely long hiatus just wouldn't stop pestering me until I wrote it down. So now, over a year, 243 pages, and 62 chapters later, here is the beginning of this story. I'm re-reading and editing before I post each chapter, so I'm going to try and put a new one up each week if I can. I hope you all enjoy it!  
p.s. I've always been a Buffy/Angel 'shipper, so this story will eventually have that element, but I do also love Spike, and he will be in the story as well, just not romantically linked to Buffy, sorry.

* * *

**Silhouette Lies**

_"Do you recall it's name  
As its suggested beck and call  
This face and heel  
Will drag your halo through the mud  
Ash of Pompei  
Erupting in a statue's dust  
Shrouded in veils  
Because these handcuffs hurt to much  
Still scalping these ticketless applause  
And when they drag the lake there is nothing left at all "  
__- Cicatriz ESP by The Mars Volta_

Chapter 1: Elegy

Flames licked higher and higher up the temple walls, the heat unbearable, and smoke so thick that it crushed her lungs with every breath. A fist connected with her stomach, and she flew into the stone pillar behind her, slamming into it hard enough to cause a shower of stones and dust to rain down upon her. With the impact, she lost her careful control of her breathing and collapsed into a fit of heaving coughs.

She wouldn't last in here much longer., she knew she needed to lure her opponent outside, but even with her heightened senses she couldn't make out anything further than a few feet in front of her through the billowing smoke. Suddenly, the fist reappeared, cutting through the smoke, barrelling directly towards her face. She managed to spring into action and catch the massive fist in both her hands, however it didn't take long before her arms began to tremble, and the creature violently shook her off, sending her sliding along the stone floor and into an altar not far away. Her back slammed into something hard and metal, and she reached behind her to discover a round inscence burner on a chain.

She sluggishly jumped to her feet, and began to swing the inscence burner over her head like a makeshift Morningstar. Through the din of the crackling flames she could just barely hear the sound of the demon grunting as it charged at her again. She released the burner in the direction of the noise and with a satisfying metallic thunk it connected with the creature, causing him to stumble backwards; this was her only chance.

She took off sprinting towards where she remembered the entrance to be, shielding her face from the flames and stumbling over debris. The beast roared behind her and she could now hear heavy footsteps on her tail, when suddenly the building groaned and a deafening crack echoed above her head, she looked up, but before she had an instant to process the sound, the roof of the temple gave way. A large wooden beam landed on her shoulders. She crumpled to the floor, pinned beneath the beam, her ears ringing, limbs tingling, then suddenly... nothing. She couldn't move. There was a dull throb in the back of her neck, but below that she felt nothing at all. She was sure the beam had broken her back, she was paralyzed, trapped in the blaze as more wood and stone rained down upon her. There was no longer any sounds to alert her to the demon approaching where she lay, it was probably buried beneath the rubble as she was, but it was no matter, the smoke and the heat continued to tear at her lungs, and with her ability to breathe hampered by the beam her vision began to swim.

No one knew she was here. She'd come on her own, tracked this monster all the way to Thailand by herself, nothing but blind rage and a hunger for vengeance edging her on. Xander was dead. He'd survived the Hellmouth, only to be butchered by some random demon. A strong demon yes, but just a demon. A run of the mill. everyday, ugly creature they'd fought a hundred times over in Sunnydale. And now she'd never avenge him. One of her only true friends, who'd stood by her side through thick and thin, who put his life on the line to help her; and she couldn't even take care of the monster who'd killed him.

She felt a tear slide across the bridge of her nose, warming in the heat of the fire before dripping onto the stone floor beneath her. She cried out in anger, a cry lost in the roar of the inferno and the rumble of the collapsing sanctuary. She wheezed and choked under the weight of the beam, it seemed to take more effort to fight for consciousness with each passing second. With her last ounce of strength she tried one last time to move, anything, any part of her body, even just a finger, but still nothing; it would end for her here, buried in the rubble. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, tears clung to her eyelashes. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I love you all... I'm so sorry" she whispered, then let herself succumb to the darkness.

The longest surviving Slayer in all of history, was dead.

~o~


	2. Chapter 2: The Land of the Living

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me.

Rating: T, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

Author's note: Sorry if the formatting is off, I'm still trying to figure everything out!

* * *

_"I was carried,_

_To Ohio in a swarm of bees..."_

- "Blood Buzz Ohio" by The National

~o~

Chapter 2: The Land of the Living

"Miss Cross? Miss Cross?"

A voice stirred her from her slumber and her eyes lazily fluttered open, in front of them, she could see pale stained wood, and the glare of cheap fluorescent lighting stung the corners of her vision. She lifted her head from the cradle formed by her crossed arms, and found herself sitting in a desk chair, in a large auditorium. She snapped her head from side to side taking in her surroundings, and the seventy-odd faces staring at her expectantly. Where was this? The last thing she remembered was the fire, the demon, the Temple crumbling to ruins around her and now...

"Miss Cross, would you care to join us in the land of the living, and tell us what Tennyson is trying to say about society in his ballad 'The Lady of Shalott'?"

She turned towards the voice, which was coming from the front of the auditorium, and found a large whiteboard mounted on the front wall. In front of it sat a sturdy wooden desk, with two novels stacked neatly in the corner, and papers scattered from a file folder spread across its surface. Next to the desk, staring at her in contempt, in a crisp grey button-up, and freshly pressed dress pants stood,

"Spike?" she sputtered incredulously.

The blond man's eyes widened in shock, but he recovered his composed and authoritative expression quickly.

"That's Professor Pratt to you Madeline." he attempted to respond in a stern manner, but a slight shakiness was still evident in his voice, "now I know Victorian literature is not the most rivetin' subject, but I'd appreciate if you could all try to stay awake in my class." he sighed, then rubbed his hand over the back of his neck, "Well, I suppose that'll be all for today. Remember, your paper is due in two weeks, and any late submissions will be penalized. If you have any questions, you all know my office hours... have a good weekend." he turned sharply and began to gather his papers from the desk.

Around her, the other students began to gather their belongings, and chattered animatedly as they all worked their way through the aisles and out the door. Quickly, she grabbed the large brown leather messenger bag sitting at her feet, and hurried out of the room. Once outside, she found herself in what was obviously a school hallway. Students filtered in and out of other rooms along the corridor, while others hurried by, obviously heading off to another class, and yet others loitered about in small groups, probably discussing plans for the upcoming weekend.

She began to breathe heavily... this was a dream... it had to be a dream... there was no other explanation. Yet, it still didn't make sense - wasn't she dead? She would have choked to death in the fire, then been completely incinerated. She had died before, she knew this wasn't the afterlife, so where was she? She brought her hand up to massage her temple but stopped in front of her face - these were not her hands. They were obviously still female, but they were not hers. Her breath became short and quick, and she touched her face... it felt different as well, her skin was not the same, the proportions of her features felt... foreign. She scanned the hallway, and to her luck spotted a bathroom sign just a few meters away. She scurried across the hall and pushed the door open. Once inside, she hastily checked underneath the stalls to make sure they were empty, then after locking the bathroom door behind her, she crouched in the corner, and dumped the contents of her messenger bag onto the floor. Brushing aside some pens, notebooks, a hairbrush and a tube of lip balm she found an agenda with "University of Braebrook" stamped on the front. flipping it open, on the first page she found written in neat but unfamiliar writing: 'Madeline Cross, 97 Hillcrest Drive'. Madeline... that's what Spike, or the Professor, whoever he was, had called her. Still utterly disoriented, she closed the agenda and tossed it back in her bag. Sitting by her knee was a small black wallet embellished with a silver buckle. She picked it up, her hands trembling slightly as she undid the clasp and opened it. Inside, there was a State of California drivers licence, and smiling back at her in the picture was none other than, "Madeline Cross..." she whispered. Dropping the wallet to the floor, she rose slowly and turned to face the mirror. She gasped, there reflected in the mirror in front of her was the girl in the photograph. Deep blue-green eyes wide in shock, long blonde hair, slightly darker than she usually kept it, hanging loose, framing her oval face. She lifted her hand to her cheek and the girl in the mirror mimicked her actions. There was no doubt, this was her, she was in this body... but how had she gotten there? Why had she gotten there? And where was this girl now? Just before panic could overtake her completely, the sound of a phone ringing cut through the silence of the bathroom. She looked back towards the scattered pile of her - no, Madeline's belongings, sitting on the floor, and noticed a small light glowing next to one of the discarded notebooks. She picked up the small cell phone and studied the screen, 'Lily calling...' it read. Should she answer it? Would it be suspicious if she didn't? Something began to tug at the back of her mind... she felt like she should know who Lily was. Chewing on her lower lip, she pressed the _answer_ button and brought the phone up to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Maddy! Where are you? Olly and I are waiting for you outside!" chirped a pleasant female voice on the other end.

"I um... I just had to run to the bathroom... sorry." she answered tentatively. There were people waiting for her? What was she supposed to do? What if they noticed something was - different - about their friend?

"No worries, we're outside the main entrance, just hurry up!" and the call ended.

She hurriedly shoved all of her things back into her bag, and exited the bathroom. Anxiety ate away at her insides, she was hoping she'd have more time to figure out what was going on, where she was, who she was, before having to interact with anyone from this girl's life. She didn't even know what this Lily or Olly even looked like, how would she find them? She was so lost in her own thoughts, she didn't even realize her feet had unconsciously carried her towards a large set of double oak doors. Snapping out of her daze she stared in confusion at the exit in front of her. Had she subconsciously known where she was heading? Deciding she would have time to scrutinize her situation later, she pushed through the doors and into the bright sunlight. Standing at the top the large stone steps, she looked out at the scenery in front of her. There was a small roadway winding around a large oval grassy area just opposite the steps. In the grassy area, stretched out in the sun, or leaning against the various trees scattered about the lawn were more students, either studying or socializing, and around the roadway a few cars were parked, the people inside waiting for others to exit their classes. Parked amongst those cars, just a few meters away was a large, old, clunky convertible, painted a dusty, faded, grey-brown, with rusted bumpers, and one taillight being held in place by a generous amount of duct tape. Sitting inside was a small girl with pixie-like features and jaw length brown hair styled messily to flip outwards at the ends. Next to her, in the drivers seat, sat a boy with strawberry blond hair and a goofy grin on his face. Once she'd noticed them the girl began to wave at her, and the boy threw his hands up in the air as if declaring a victory. Deciding that they must be Lily and Olly, she attempted to smile warmly and walked towards the beat up automobile.

"Maddy!" the boy cheered.

"Would you look at this thing?" giggled the girl, rapping one knuckle against the torn and dirty tan upholstery on the inside of the passenger door.

"Maddy, my darling, welcome aboard the Ollymobile! What do you think?" boomed Olly.

"It's... great..." she answered, sweeping her eyes over pathetic heap of steel.

"Oh come on Maddy, it's a hunk of junk! It's awful!" chuckled Lily, placing a comforting hand on Olly's shoulder.

"Hey! At least it's running now! And I, Oliver Eaton, do solemnly swear, that as soon as I have the money, this baby's getting a new coat of paint, some new upholstery, and I will have the most awesomest car in all of Braebrook!"

She couldn't help but smiling at his enthusiasm, he reminded her of... no, she wouldn't let her thoughts wander that way, not amidst all this confusion.

"'Awesomest' isn't a word dummy." teased Lily.

"Well excuse me Misses Languages Major! Now, are you ready for your first lift home in my luxurious ride Miss Cross?" Olly asked, the goofy grin spread across his face again as he ran his hand lovingly over the edge of the door frame.

A chuckle bubbled up inside her, despite the hole forming in her heart, at watching these two interact. They reminded her so much of Willow and Xander that it comforted her at the same time as it made her miss her friends. She didn't know what else to do other than go along with this strange situation, "Let's go" she replied, and reached for the door handle.

"The back door sticks a little, you may have to -"

But before Olly could finish his sentence, she'd yanked the back door open, it seemed as though her Slayer strength had come with her into this stranger's body, she would have to test it out more thoroughly later.

"Wow, Maddy, you beast..." Olly joked, she smiled at him sheepishly. "now, there aren't any seat belts back there yet, so hold on tight, and if we pass any cops, just duck."

"Oh god Olly, are you trying to kill her?" Lily groaned.

_Been there, done that..._ she thought as the engine roared to a start, and the car began to roll not-so-smoothly down the road and off of the campus.

~o~

The ride home went smoothly enough. She tried to just sit back and listen to Olly and Lilly banter back and forth for most of the trip, however when she did interject, they didn't seem to notice anything amiss. She felt oddly at ease with the two, as though she'd known them her whole life. She was almost disappointed when the clunky old car rolled to a stop outside of a charming little bungalow perched on a small hill and surrounded by tall trees.

"Here you are Milady!" exclaimed Olly.

Lily turned in her seat to face her, "Call me when you wake up tomorrow, we're going to go to Betty's for brunch."

"I wouldn't miss it." she replied, she thanked Olly for the lift, then hopped out of the car. He pulled away leaving her standing in front of what she assumed was her home. The anxiety that gripped her back at campus was again making her stomach churn, Madeline's friends hadn't noticed anything strange in the short ride home, but would her family? How would she interact with these strange people, stuck in a house with them all night? She began to walk up the cobblestone walkway, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves. When she reached the front door she hesitantly reached out for the doorknob and turned, discovering that it was unlocked, she walked inside. Looking around, the house felt warm and inviting, which eased her nerves slightly. To her left was a large living room/dining room with two large overstuffed sofas and a luxurious looking wooden dining table. Straight ahead she could see through the door to the kitchen, and to her right was a long hallway, where she oddly enough, knew she would find her bedroom. Suddenly a figure appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, shocking her out of her reverie.

"Hi sweetie, how was your day?" greeted the figure. It was a slim, older man, with salt and pepper hair. He had deep crows feet at the corners of his eyes, like he spent a lot of his time smiling, and wore a simple navy blue polo shirt with jeans.

"Oh, the same old... you know." she replied. She refrained from calling him 'Dad', still unsure of their relation.

"I see the enthusiasm of starting your first year in University has already worn off." he quipped, still smiling, "Are you hungry? Dinner will be ready in 10."

Though she was still feeling awkward, she felt a lot of the anxiety melt away while standing in front of this friendly man.

"Sounds great," she answered, and he disappeared back into the kitchen.

She slipped off her shoes, and padded down the long hallway, she knew her room was at the very end, across from the bathroom, which startled her slightly, but the sudden growling of her stomach, and the realization of just how hungry she really was made her forget her confusion. She pushed open the door and dropped her bag on the floor beside her. She was about to turn to leave, but decided to take a look around instead. Spanning the back wall just opposite the door was a large window, with delicate pointelle lace curtains. The walls were painted a light caramel brown, and on the right hand wall, covered in a cozy quilt and a mountain of pillows stood a double bed, next to it sat a small wooden nightstand with a drawer and a door underneath for storage. On top of it sat a simple lamp, an alarm clock and a rather tall stack of novels... it looked as though Madeline was quite the reader. On the other side of the bed was a simple wooden desk with a laptop and various textbooks scattered over top and across from it, on the opposite wall stood an enormous bookshelf stuffed with books. Beside the bookshelf was a delicately carved vanity, painted white with brass drawer pulls. Tucked around the mirror attached to the tabletop were various pictures. As she walked closer she could see the majority of them were of Madeline, Lily and Olly. One of them at Santa Monica pier, of them sitting around a table in a place that looked suspiciously like the Bronze, and another of them standing outside of a building marked "Braebrook High School" all decked out in caps and gowns, proudly clutching their diplomas in hand. It was then she noticed, sitting on the vanity in a simple but elegant silver frame, a picture of a young blond girl, maybe twelve or thirteen, with her arms flung around the neck of an elegant older woman with practical shoulder-length honey brown hair, the same eyes as Madeline, and a large caring smile spread across her face.

"Mom..." she whispered, touching the edge of the picture delicately before snapping her hand back, and blinking a few times in shock. Had she just called this woman 'mom'? This wasn't her mother... yet at the same time she knew that yes, this was Madeline's mother. The more she contemplated the photograph, the more a deep sadness enveloped her heart.

"Maddy? You coming?"

The voice calling her from the end of the hallway shook her from her daze, she'd completely forgotten about dinner.

"Yeah! Just a sec!" she responded, spinning away from the photos and towards the door. She walked across the hall to the bathroom to wash up, and ended up spending a good amount of time staring in the mirror. Madeline's body was close enough in size to her own that she didn't feel awkward or clumsy moving around, but staring into someone else's eyes in the mirror sent her into a panic again. She needed to find out what was going on, but how? Realizing she had been washing her hands for far too long, and had left her father - if that's who he was - waiting again, she hastily mustered her courage and shuffled down the hallway to the kitchen. Turning into the room, the older man was already seated at the small kitchen table, which she noted only had two chairs, a large plate of pasta sat on the table in front of him, which he poked at with his fork impatiently. He looked up at her in the doorway and grinned.

"Well come on kiddo, dig in and tell me about your day!" he said cheerfully.

She slid into the seat across from him and picked up her fork, trying her best to mask her nervousness.

"Not much to tell, classes, teachers, note-taking... it was a pretty uneventful day" she answered. _Except for that I've somehow been transported into your daughter's body..._ but she felt it was best to leave that part out of the conversation.

"How's your art history paper coming along?"

"Oh... very artsy, very history" she responded. Oh god, she takes art history? She was convinced now she had to find her way out of this poor girls body, not only because she wanted this Freaky Friday-esque experience to be over with, but so she didn't completely ruin her GPA.

She took a few bites of her pasta, giving herself a moment to think up a topic of conversation. She decided maybe it would be best to just act natural, to maybe think of what she would have talked about with her own mother over dinner all those years ago.

"So... um... Olly finally got his car running." she offered eventually.

The fatherly man sitting across from her paused with his fork poised halfway into his mouth, then began to chuckle heartily.

"You're kidding me! That old clunker?"

"The one and only... he gave me a lift home from school in it." she replied.

An amused smile still playing on his lips, he shook his head "Tell me all about it."

She began to recall her ride home, finding it remarkably easy to talk to this man. They finished their meal in pleasant conversation, then she helped him load the dirty dishes into the dishwasher before using her art history paper as an excuse to retreat back to the safe confines of her room.

Throwing herself unceremoniously down onto the bed, she sighed deeply and covered her face with her hands, pushing her fingers into her closed eyes until she saw coloured spots behind her eyelids. Opening them again, she hoped she would awake somewhere else, but she had no such luck. Staring up at the ceiling in defeat she decided she should at least figure out where she was, and whether or not she'd be able to contact someone who could help her. This was a thought that made her somewhat uneasy. She was sure for some unbeknownst reason that all of her loved ones must know that she was dead, and she wondered if contacting them would just serve to... complicate the situation. She didn't doubt that they would be inclined to believe her hair-brained story, but she didn't even know if what happened to her was demon-related - what if this was the work of something else? Ushering those thoughts out of her head, she rose from the bed and slid into the chair in front of her desk. She turned on the laptop while pondering what she could possibly research, body swapping? Astral projection? She chewed her lower lip and silently wished she was with Giles or Willow. She decided from the look of things that she would have ample time to figure out how she arrived into this form, and figured it would serve her better to research where she was, so that she could better carry out this charade for the time being. Typing "Braebrook, California" into the search engine, she began to read, feeling very odd that she was so willing to research of her own accord... it was very out of character for her, and left her slightly on edge. Reading about this small town proved to be rather uninteresting; very suburban, small population, low crime rate, excellent school system... it seemed to be your average all-American town. It wasn't until she reached the end of the entry that what she would call her 'spidey-sense' started tingling:

'_Braebrook is home to the largest cemetery in the Western United States. Sprawling over half the city, the cemetery has stood for two centuries despite the church which occupied the ground having been destroyed in 1816, when a mysterious fire burned it to the ground. All subsequent attempts to rebuild the structure were met with misfortune, three of which were marked by deaths. In 1820 it was decided the land would be used solely as a resting place, while the church itself was moved across town...'_

Though she knew that not all information on the internet was to be taken seriously, she couldn't help but to feel there was something suspicious about a cemetery that large being in a city so small, and the history behind it seemed even more abnormal in her eyes. She decided she would have to investigate, but it would have to wait until another day. The stressful events of the past day finally catching up with her, she turned off the laptop and slid into bed, deciding it would prove better to be well rested if she would have to spend another day in this charade. Much to her surprise, the anxiety she'd felt most of the day did not keep her awake, and she almost instantly drifted into a deep sleep.

~o~

**Chapter 3 coming right up!**

**Please review :)  
**


	3. Chapter 3: From Across the Pond

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me.

Rating: T, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

Author's note: I just realized that I didn't really give credit to the artists I'm quoting at the beginning of the chapters. I know I'm citing where I've taken the lyrics from, but just in case it's not enough, in the first chapter, the song is by the crazy talented The Mars Volta, off the album "Deloused in the Commatorium". The second chapter's song is by The National, off their latest album "High Violet" (if you have not heard this album, or haven't heard of The National I highly recommend you go listen, they'll make you feel like life is more dramatic and beautiful than it actually is... _le sigh_). This chapter's lyrics are taken from Beirut, off the album "The Flying Club Cup"... if you've ever wanted to feel like a gypsy, you definitely need to be listening to Beirut.

* * *

_"Time travels to know_  
_ Your secret life_  
_ In your mausoleum"  
- _"In The Mausoleum" by Beirut

~o~

Chapter 3: From Across the Pond

As it turned out, Betty's was a small family owned bakery and deli in the heart of downtown Braebrook. They served sandwiches on fresh baked bread, and on weekends, the most heavenly pancakes you've ever tasted. Lily called, waking her up , bright and early the next morning, and after an enthusiastic chat with her father, Olly drove them into town where she was more than happy to momentarily drown her worries in maple syrup. She felt oddly at ease joking around with the two teens, in fact, she was beginning to remember odd bits and pieces of times they shared together. For instance, she remembered she befriended Lily in the first grade, when they battled it out to win their class spelling bee. Lily had beaten her, and she'd been a sore loser, returning to her desk to pout, but the spat had been forgotten by noon when the two girls discovered they both had the same Barbie lunchbox. Olly had become their friend a year later, when in an attempt to catch Lily's eye, he'd stuck gum in her hair... so in order to defend her friend, she'd pushed him into the mud. She could remember their first day of High School, their graduation... in fact, she could now remember so many details about her friends she began to wonder; had her previous life only been a dream? She had yet to test out her strength, had pulling open the sticky door on Olly's car perhaps been a fluke?

Her worries slipped away as she passed the rest of the afternoon wandering around town, enjoying the presence of her two best friends as they joked, window shopped, and spent the day just relaxing. She thought perhaps she could get used to this "normal" life, that she could just let her past slip away, until she noticed a familiar form in the distance.

It was a man, much older than herself, walking just a few meters ahead. His hair was mostly white, though you were able to tell that it had been grey, and was fading slowly. He wore a jacket made of brown tweed, with dark brown suede patches sewn on the elbows. His gait was crisp and purposeful, and he carried in his hand a very worn looking leather briefcase. Her heart quickened as he stopped in front of a shop not far ahead, and began to dig in his jacket pocket for something. He pulled out a set of keys, then turned to face the door beside him and her heart nearly jumped out of her chest.

It was Giles.

Right down to the wire-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, it was Giles. Knowing Lily and Olly walked alongside her, she fought to keep the tears from welling in her eyes as she gazed at the familiar face she had most wished she could see. He disappeared into the shop just moments before they neared it, trying her best to not seem to eager, she tried to peer inside as they passed. Looking up, she noticed above the door hung a sign which in an old-style font read: "Antique Books".

"Uh oh Lily, she found it..." Olly's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Maddy, no. No more books. You told me to do it by force if I have to, but I can't let you buy any more books!" scolded Lily as she grabbed her by the arm and began to drag her away from the outside of the shop. It seemed Maddy's love for books was more of an addiction.

"What? What are you talking about? No... I just wanted to take a peek inside..." she replied, still trying to spot Giles through the storefront window while Lily hauled her along the sidewalk.

"Nope, not even any looking! You know how you get, you start reading a new book and you forget about everything else until it's done... even schoolwork!"

"Right, remember that Brendan kid that asked you out first week of school? You forgot you had a date because you were too busy reading The World According to Garp." Olly reminded her.

She did remember this incident - now - she'd sat down to read 'a few pages' before heading out to meet Brendan, then all of a sudden two hours had gone by.

"Okay, but I'm not going on a date now, so why don't we-"

"No!" Lily giggled, "I'm taking you home! I know it's a new bookstore, and it's very exciting, but I'm putting my foot down!" she scolded as Lily hooked her arm around her own and continued walking.

New? Well yes, it had to be new. Last she'd heard of him Giles was still in London helping the newly reformed Watcher's Council get some final things back in order. How long had he been here?

"How long ago did it open?" she asked innocently.

"Within the last week. It almost seems like it sprang up out of nowhere. One day the building was empty, the next it was a bookstore. Lily and I only noticed it a few days ago. The owner is some British dude, he said hi to us while we were standing outside, plotting ways to keep you from getting inside." Olly teased.

"Your lack of faith in my willpower is really disappointing guys," she sighed.

"Don't worry Maddy m'dear, we'll find a cure one day... maybe there's a bookaholics anonymous somewhere." Olly chuckled, and they continued down the street.

~o~

When Olly dropped her off at home, it was still early. She figured she may have time to make it back to the bookstore before it closed and Giles headed home for the night. Hastily throwing a few schoolbooks in her bag to make it look more heavy, she hurriedly slipped her shoes on at the front door and called to her father.

"Dad?"

"Yes honey?" he yelled from his bedroom.

"I'm just running to the library before it closes, I'll be back for dinner!" she lied.

"Alright! See you later."

She jogged down the street, hoping that Madeline's memory would help her find her way back into town. She'd tried to pay attention while Olly was driving, but the streets were so maze-like she easily lost track of where they'd turned.

As it turned out, she was in luck, and she found herself standing in front of the shop with ten minutes to spare. She paused briefly to catch her breath, as well as to collect her thoughts, and figure out how to explain herself to Giles. Then with a shaky hand, she pulled open the shop door.

The tinkle of a tiny bell drifted down to her ears as the door swung shut behind her. As she surveyed the tiny store, the musty smell of old paper and leather which she'd for so long associated with the Sunnydale High library flooded her senses. The storefront was dimly lit, and an old wooden counter with a register stood to her immediate right. In the centre of the room sat a large mahogany table surrounded by chairs, and behind it stood rows and rows of shelves lined with old tomes. Along the back wall and down the left side of the shop was a long raised platform with a railing. A few smaller shelves stood along the back wall, and on the right near the steps was a door which looked to lead to a back room or office. The very Giles-ness of her surroundings nearly brought tears to her eyes, and she thanked whatever powers that may be that she had finally found someone to help her.

"Oh, hello..."

A voice broke through the silence of the room, and she looked up to the doorway to the office. Leaning in the doorway was Giles, looking exactly how she remembered him, though his eyes looked more tired and defeated than the last time she had spoke with him. He began to step down the stairs when she didn't answer him.

"I'm afraid I'll be closing up shortly, is there anything I can help you with quickly?" he asked, stopping behind the table across from where she stood.

"G-Giles?" she stammered. The tears she fought so hard to keep back springing to her eyes again.

A puzzled look washed over his features, and he visibly stiffened with suspicion.

"Yes, I am Rupert Giles... may I ask the nature of this visit?" he questioned.

Her hands curled into fists at her side, she opened her mouth but the many things she'd thought to say completely escaped her.

"Giles... I..." she swallowed hard, and took a deep breath before spitting out the only thing she could think to say;

"It's me... I'm Buffy."

~o~

**And now the action can start! I promise more BtVS characters will start making appearances now.  
**

**Please review, and Chapter 4 will be up next week.**


	4. Chapter 4: Reunions and Revelations

**So, I had to be at work for 7am today, and I'm now far too tired to attempt to work on any of the other stories I'm starting to write. I figured it would be less strenuous to edit and post another chapter!**

Disclaimer: Nothing but my original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: T, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

* * *

_"Change everything you are_  
_ And everything you were_  
_ Your number has been called"  
_- "Butterflies and Hurricanes" by Muse

Chapter 4: Reunions and Revelations

They sat across from each other in total silence. Buffy had just finished explaining everything to him; from the fight with the demon in Thailand, to waking up in a class being taught by none other than Spike, to her new friends and family, and finally finding him here. It seemed for the moment that Giles had no immediate response to her story, he simply stared blankly at the tabletop, his hands resting on the surface with the temples of his glasses pinched between his thumbs and forefingers. Buffy stared at him pleadingly, for so long she'd just wanted to spill her story to someone and now the suspense of waiting for Giles' response was too much for her to bear.

"I... I can't quite believe this Buffy." he murmured. finally, still unable to meet her eyes.

"That makes two of us..." she mumbled, tracing patterns on the tabletop. She chewed her bottom lip in concern, when Giles seemed baffled it was never a good sign. Perhaps it was shock, but Giles remained silent and stoic, and still refused to look up from the glasses clutched in his hands.

Panic began to overtake her again. She couldn't take being so close, but still not having any answers, she wanted out of this body, or at least to understand what brought her here, and now even her personal paranormal encyclopedia was drawing a blank.

"Giles... I need answers." she stuttered, tears welling in her eyes, "I'm so lost, so confused."

He finally looked up at her, studying her face long and hard. His bleary eyes completely glazed over with tears. "I have none." he whispered.

Buffy's heart dropped, the hope she'd briefly felt confiding in Giles evaporated and she felt just as overwhelmed as she had the first time she'd looked at herself in the mirror.

"You were gone, Buffy," Giles continued brokenly. "You... you were not only dead but... but... burnt to a cinder. There was nothing left of you, we wouldn't have even known you were dead if word hadn't gotten out in the demon community."

It was Buffy's turn to cast her gaze downwards, "I know what I did was stupid. I just stopped thinking, I...it- it killed Xander," she croaked, "I'm sorry..."

"Don't apologize Buffy," replied Giles, and she looked up to meet his eyes once more. She wondered how his tears hadn't spilled over yet, but then again Giles always seemed to be able to keep everything in check. "We all felt the same way. It was just so hard thinking we'd never see you again either, we're all still coming to terms... I just... I can't even think straight at the moment, let alone hypothesize what could have possibly occurred..."

She reached across the table and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "It's okay Giles. I guess I'm just too relieved and happy to find you here - why are you here anyway?" she asked in an attempt to lighten the conversation. When she'd left Giles and the others, he had been helping a few surviving members of the Watchers Council with the final touches of getting the Council reformed.

After Buffy and the rest of the Scooby Gang and spent the better part of the last thirteen years rounding up all the potentials they could track down and training them, they had been approached by two men claiming to be Watchers who had left the Council, unhappy with Quentin Travers' opinion of Buffy and her untraditional methods. Since hearing of the, dissolution, so to speak, of the Council, they had spent their time trying to gather up support to create a new organization geared more towards supporting the slayers and their needs in the battle against evil, instead of making sure they took care of everything by the book. After much scrutiny and deliberation, Buffy agreed that it would be better if the potential slayers had some additional back-up, people with some ties higher up in society to help them with research and cover-ups, as the case may be. Besides, the Scoobies themselves were starting to get older, and after almost twenty years of fighting the good fight, being able to slow down a bit sounded very much appealing to all of them. As it was, Giles had stayed in England, helping out the new Watchers to get their headquarters in order, as well as to endow them with his (now much respected)knowledge from working alongside the Slayer. Willow had returned to the U.S., to keep an eye out for any paranormal activity there, as well as to start a career as a professor, and Dawn, much to Buffy's relief, had settled down into a nice normal life in Italy, far away from Buffy's slaying antics. Spike had rejoined their team, after mysteriously showing up from New York as a human. He refused to talk about it, and Giles as well as the other Watchers were completely baffled, but after a few weeks of him moping about, missing his supernatural abilities and whining about how he would now "start to get old and wrinkly", he proved to be useful, having a vast knowledge of the demon community, as well as still being able to hold his own in a fight (though just barely). Xander had continued travelling with Buffy, tracking down new Slayers and checking up on the older ones, which had ultimately led to his death. Finally there was Faith, who aided Buffy with the daunting task of reigning in all the potentials, however she preferred to fly solo as usual, only popping in to see the rest of the Gang when there was big trouble.

Giles chuckled slightly, he'd missed Buffy's flippant attitude and ability to bounce back from even the most strange or dire of situations, however almost instantaneously his expression became dark. He pushed his glasses back onto his nose and straightened in his chair.

"I uh... I came here to..." he trailed off, seemingly unable to find the words to finish his explanation. Buffy narrowed her eyes in his direction, but remained silent. "To monitor some strange occurrences." he finally replied.

"Strange occurrences? Like what?" she asked.

"Well, Willow called me awhile back, saying that she'd been feeling a lot of strange energy coming from this area, energy similar to that of Sunnydale's." he explained.

"Another Hellmouth?" Buffy questioned hopefully, though not a very substantial one, it could be a reason why she was here.

"We're not sure. However after doing some research with the resources at the Council headquarters, I noticed a very high mysterious death and disappearance rate here in Braebrook. A rate far too high for such a small town with such a low crime rate... all in all, there are far too many similarities to Sunnydale for us to not keep an eye on things here."

"Not to mention their massive graveyard..." Buffy added.

"Yes, not to - how did you know about that?" Giles queried.

"I did some research of my own," she replied smugly. "Which was totally weird... I enjoyed it Giles, this Madeline girl is a complete bookworm, she could give both you and Will a run for your money. I've got all these weird character traits and memories that aren't my own and it's giving me the heebie-jeebies."

"Well, your being here is yet another odd occurrence we'll need to look into. I'll contact the Council to see what they can find out. They have more resources than I have, besides, the more people we have on this the more likely we'll be to find an answer. In the meantime... I suppose it's best if you just keep living as, erm, Madeline you said it was?"

"Yeah. Speaking of which, I've got her father waiting for me to get home for dinner." Buffy chuckled, "I'm 35 and I have a parent waiting on me to get home... this is ridiculous..."

"Don't worry Buffy, I'm sure we'll find an answer." Giles comforted.

"I hope so... Thanks Giles." she stood to leave, when a thought crossed her mind. "Giles, do you mind... not telling Willow or anyone about me? At least, not until we know whether this is permanent or not... I don't want to stir up any emotions, or, whatever."

"Of course not Buffy, as you wish." he replied, standing to walk her to the door. Buffy headed towards the exit feeling slightly more relaxed then she had the past two days. Being able to open up to someone, especially Giles, had greatly lightened the burden she'd felt. Overwhelmed by emotion she spun around on her toes and flung her arms around Giles' neck, giving him an affectionate squeeze. He stiffened in surprise momentarily, but then relaxed and patted her on the back comfortingly.

"I'm so glad you're here Giles," she sighed once releasing him.

A strange mix of elation and fear washed over Giles face, "And I'm... I'm glad you're alive. However strange it may be."

"I'll stop by tomorrow night." she said smiling, before pushing through the door, and heading in the direction of her new home.

~o~

**Sorry this chapter is so short, I promise the next one makes up for it!  
One thing I forgot to mention in my initial author's note is that there will be no Dawn in this story... hence why I shipped her character off to Italy. No offense to anyone who's a fan of hers, but I cannot stand Dawn, and didn't really want to have to write her character.**

**I know this story is _a lot_ odd right now, but I hope you all can hang in there through these few chapters of set-up because it does get a lot more Buffy-ish.**

**If even just one of you could find the time to write a quick review, I'd really appreciate knowing how people are receiving this so far. ;)  
**


	5. Chapter 5: Target Acquired

**Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canucks out there, enjoy your turkey! To everyone else, hope you had a lovely start to the week.  
This chapter has a lot more action in it, so I hope it starts to pique everyone's interests! **

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

Author's Note: So I was reading through a few of the later chapters, and I'm worried that T may not be a strong enough rating for some of the story. I don't think that I'm _that_ descriptive of a writer, but there are a few chapters that have some more serious content, or what I'm sure some would consider more graphic violence. I don't want to discourage people from continuing the story, because it's definitely not a strong M, so I'll put up some warnings if I feel there's a chapter that's a little darker than the others.

~o~

Chapter 5: Target Acquired

Her conversation with Giles had Buffy wired all evening. Perhaps it was the relief of knowing answers would be heading her way shortly, or maybe she was getting more accustomed to her double life, but she found conversing with her father over dinner to be far less awkward than it had the night before. In fact, she genuinely enjoyed his company, and perhaps they were simply residual feelings from Madeline's body but she actually felt some affection towards him. It was with more reluctance tonight that she excused herself back to her bedroom, but she wanted to poke around Madeline's things a bit more, and see what else she could remember to help her in this situation. After sifting through old photographs, a journal which stopped abruptly after the age of 15, and whatever else she could find, Buffy still found herself wide awake. Against her better judgment, and although she could hear Giles' voice in the back of her head berating her for making such a careless decision, she decided perhaps a night of good old fashioned patrolling would tire her out a bit. Making sure her father was fast asleep, she rifled through Madeline's closet for slay-appropriate clothing. She threw on a pair of old ripped jeans, a black hoodie and a pair of sneakers. Realizing that she had no weapons, she decided she would just have to makeshift some stakes out of tree branches, and pray she didn't run into anything bigger than a vampire for the night. Pleased that her new bedroom was at ground level, she slipped quietly out the window and wandered into the night.

After walking a few minutes in any which direction, it occurred to her that tonight may be a good chance to do some reconnaissance around this graveyard. Vaguely recalling where it was located from her research the night before, she turned around and walked in what she hoped was the right direction.

The streets were completely silent, save for the slight autumn breeze that rustled the now changing leaves in the trees. It seemed all the people in Braebrook were snugly tucked in their beds for the night. The complete lack of nightlife reminded Buffy so much of her days patrolling in Sunnydale. Almost everywhere else she'd traveled to afterward it had been near impossible to slay in secret, she thought of the time she'd spent in New York City, where if there wasn't a group of people going to or from the nearest club walking by, then there was at least a homeless person in the nearest alley. Or she though of Dublin, where instead of running away from a fight the drunken tourists and locals alike would gather around and cheer, leaving poor Xander to create a diversion so she could stake the offending vampire without causing a fuss. The thought of Xander brought a lump to form in her throat. The demon had ripped him apart before her very eyes. Last night had been the first night in weeks that she hadn't been plagued by dreams of her friend's blood being spilled. She wondered if she would be in this situation right now if she hadn't chased after it in a blind fury... if the new Council hadn't been nearly completed, if Willow hadn't been too far away, and her pleading over the phone for Buffy to not do anything rash been in vain. Suddenly she felt very alone. It had been ages since she'd had to patrol on her own. Even back in Sunnydale there had normally been someone with her, be it Dawn, Spike, Xander and Willow, Faith, even Giles... or Angel.

Perhaps it was the eerie similarity to nights patrolling in Sunnydale, or her longing for some familiarity, but it had been awhile since she'd let herself dwell on thoughts of Angel. They hadn't seen much of each other in the past thirteen years, both had been busy traveling and fighting their own respective fights. They met up occasionally, when one needed help from the other in defeating a big baddy, but she'd been reluctant to discuss anything but slaying with him, and if he'd ever felt the impulse to discuss anything else with her he'd kept mum as well. She wondered if he'd heard of her death, and couldn't help but wondering how he'd taken the news. Sighing she shook her head, and silently scolded herself for letting her thoughts drift to a subject she'd long ago labeled as "off-limits". Though Angel would always hold a special place in her heart, she'd come to accept the fact that theirs was a relationship that just wasn't meant to be - not to mention she'd probably ruined whatever slight chance they may have had by getting mixed up with Spike all those years ago. With time, however, she'd gotten used to being alone, and realized that with the life she led; traveling all over the world, training slayers, putting her life on the line to fight demons, it only made sense for her to not be romantically linked to anyone. Though she had stopped looking for love, she was thankful to have Xander's companionship most of the time while on the road, and his death served only as a cruel reminder of the price one pays when getting tangled up in her life.

Shrouded by her dark thoughts, Buffy arrived at the gates of the cemetery, and stopped dead in her tracks. Unable to believe her eyes she scanned the landscape in front of her in utter disbelief. Dipping down a rolling hill, then back up again, as far as she could see, were rows upon rows of tombstones. From simple rectangular headstones, to larger more ornate sculptures and crypts sprawled out in front of her forever, shaded by overgrown hedges and trees. How it was possible for someone to patrol the whole grounds in one evening was beyond her, but her slayer instincts drove her forward through the gates, and along the barely visible dirt path. Through the darkness, to her right she could just barely make out what looked like a large rectangle of stones sticking out of the ground, as if someone had begun to construct a foundation, and realized that must have been where the church once stood. As she descended the hill, the glow from the streetlamps faded away, and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. Even in the darkness she could tell the grounds were not very well kept. The grass was dry, browning in some areas, and looked as though it had been cut in a hurry. There were dead flowers that had not been removed from many graves, and the trees and shrubs looked like they were in desperate need of pruning. Nevertheless, Buffy found the surroundings comforting. Not including the immensity of the cemetery, she felt remarkably like she was back in Sunnydale, the only thing missing to complete the experience were the vampires, and to her luck, it didn't take her much longer to find them.

She hadn't wandered much further, when she began hearing a faint female giggle through the trees. Knowing that if there were any vampires, a lonely girl in a cemetery at night would be an easy target, she decided to investigate. Creeping closer in the direction of the noise, she discovered a young couple, probably high school age, entangled together against a tree.

"Shaun, stop it! We really shouldn't be in here, it's so creepy!" the girl giggled.

"Aw, come on Meg! You're not scared are you? " Shaun taunted, running his hand up the girl's side, "Do you think that zombies are gonna appear? Want to eat our braaaaiiiiins?" he chuckled.

"Shut up!" Meg laughed, swatting Shaun playfully on the chest, "We'll be in so much shit if we get caught! Besides, it's starting to get late."

Scott smiled devilishly at her, then began to lower his lips towards hers, "Okay, we'll leave... just five more minutes." he whispered.

It was then, while the two were too distracted by trying to see who could shove their tongue further down the others' throat, that Buffy spotted two male vampires sauntering slowly up behind Shaun.

"Hey, hey Saul! It's our lucky night!" the taller of the two cheered. Meg and Shaun jumped apart, and stood pinned against the large tree, staring at the intruders with guilty expressions on their faces.

"It sure is Tom, I was just about to say it was slim pickings tonight... but it looks like our luck has changed!" the shorter one, with a shaved head and goatee replied.

"Should we call Malcolm?" Tom asked.

"Why? There's only two." Saul replied hotly.

"I'm right behind you, assholes." came another voice, and a third vampire stepped out from the shadows. He was between the other two in height, but much more built. His eyes were dark, and hollow.

Meg began to visibly panic, she wrung her hands in front of her, "We're... we're really sorry guys. We weren't doing anything wrong, I swear! We'll leave right away and not come back - I promise!" she stammered.

Malcolm pushed through the other two vampires, and walked right up to Meg, "And what if we don't want you to leave, Sweetheart?" he growled, staring down at her intimidatingly. Meg tried to shrink back into the tree trunk, and Shaun stepped in front of her, shaking.

"Buddy, we don't want any trouble... we'll go okay?" his voice wavered in fear as he spoke, finding it hard to meet Malcolm's eyes.

Suddenly, Malcolm's face changed, ridges appeared over his forehead, and his eyes shone bright yellow, like a cat's. A strangled scream escaped from Meg, and Shaun's eyes grew wide in panic.

"I said, what if we don't want you to leave?" he repeated in a low dangerous tone.

It was then that adrenaline overtook Buffy, and she exploded out of the dark cover of the trees at full speed. Aiming directly for Malcolm as his hand lunged out to grab Shaun by the throat, Buffy leaped into the air with her front leg extended, and came down with her foot right in the side of Malcolm's head. Meg pulled Shaun back, as their attacker fell to the ground. Buffy rolled to her feet, and Tom and Saul stared at the scene unfolding in front of them in confusion.

"Three on two? Come on now guys, how's that fair?" Buffy quipped. She turned as Malcolm was still finding his bearings to look back at Meg and Shaun, who were still standing next to the tree behind her, frozen in fear. "Now would be a good time to run." she said.

It was Meg who snapped back to reality first, she looked Buffy in the eyes for half a second, before grabbing Shaun by the wrist, and dragging him off in the direction of the cemetery entrance.

Buffy turned back to her opponents as Malcolm climbed to his feet, and the two other vampires morphed into their game faces.

"You just made a big mistake, little girl." Malcolm threatened, clenching his fists at his sides.

"That makes two of us then." she smiled, then stepped into a fighting stance before throwing herself headlong into the fight.

All three vampires charged her at once, but with her twenty years of slaying experience, topped with the turmoil of the last few days, combined with the fact that she was back in a young teenage body, they were no match. She threw kicks and punches with such fury and ease that she had the upper hand in no time. Snapping a branch off of one of the nearby trees, she had Tom dusted within minutes, which sent Saul into a panic, and afterward he backed off quite a bit, leaving Malcolm and Buffy to duke it out almost solely one-on-one. After landing a solid backhand, followed swiftly by a roundhouse kick, Malcolm was once again disoriented. Wasting no time, she buried the tree branch in his chest, and with a bewildered roar Malcolm exploded into dust. Turning her attention finally on Saul, he began to back away from her whimpering rather pathetically.

"Wh-what the hell are you? You stay away from me!" he wailed.

"Me? I'm just here to spoil all your fun." she answered grinning ironically.

Saul stopped momentarily, crouched over like an animal ready to pounce, his hands stretched out in front of him like claws. Breathing heavily, he waited a beat for Buffy to advance a few steps before spinning around and sprinting away in the opposite direction.

Buffy laughed, it had been awhile since she'd fought a vampire, and found his cowardice amusing. Instead of chasing after him she tossed aside her makeshift stake and folded her arms across her chest. "Sure, run away! Make sure to tell all your friends there's a new Slayer in town!" she called after him. Pausing, she scoffed at her momentary cockiness, chalking it up to it having been awhile since she'd been able to let off any steam. Deciding she'd had enough for one night, the turned in the opposite direction and walked casually back towards her home, she didn't want Madeline's father to notice she was missing, and she decided it was probably time she get some rest.

~o~

Saul didn't stop running, he didn't look behind him. If that girl had decided to trail him he didn't want to see her coming, he didn't want to know when he was going to die, he didn't want to know when the pain was coming. Scrambling up the stone wall encircling the graveyard, he leaped off the ledge at the top and kept running in the direction of town. In the commotion of the fight, he'd completely forgotten how pissed off their master would be at him coming back alone, with news that his strongest minion had been taken out by a tiny teen-aged girl. It wasn't until he'd scrambled to the outskirts of downtown, where all the industrial warehouses and office building were, that he realized how much trouble he was going to be in. Scanning his surroundings, and feeling relatively certain he hadn't been followed he slowed his pace. Walking towards the old wig factory where they'd set up shop. Sighing unnecessarily, he rubbed his hand over his bare scalp, _Tell your friend's there's a new Slayer in town_... A Slayer? They hadn't been in Braebrook very long, maybe a month or so, but until tonight hunting had been smooth sailing. The town was quiet, and the city officials somewhat corrupt - no one spoke of the off-the-charts death rate in the town, no one wanted to admit their home was less-than a picture-perfect suburbia. That's what made it such a good hunting ground, their Master had said. That, and the fact that it was the resting place of a certain power they needed to unleash some sort of massive-evil on the earth. Saul didn't have any information on this so-called plan other than that. Their Master had kept his lips sealed about the details of his plan, said he wasn't a "Bond-villain, just revealing his plots willy-nilly". He had said though, that for the time being there was power in numbers, so Saul knew coming back to report two casualties would not go over well. He hadn't been around long, but in the two weeks since he'd shown up, the Master had completely taken over the vampire population in town, he proved himself to be the most cunning and ruthless of the bunch, and Saul was most certain that he was only going home to get his head quite literally ripped off. A Slayer being in Braebrook was bad news for all of them, and he hoped maybe the fact that he was giving them a heads-up would be a reason to spare him. Now standing in front of the service entrance of the large factory, Saul cracked his neck side to side, took an imaginary breath, and pushed the door open. Heading down the stairs to the basement, he found the Master sitting at a large conference-style table with his feet propped up on the tabletop. A thin black haired female vampire, Deena, sat on the end of the table, and a large, hulking black vampire named Dustin stood in front of them both. A few of the others in their clan were milling about, but it looked like most had retired to their sleeping quarters, as the sun would be peaking up over the horizon shortly.

Saul approached the table, the Master's face was hidden by the shadows, and in his hands he tossed a small matchbox up in the air, and caught it again.

"Saul!" he called as he drew closer, "You're late getting back, we were starting to worry," he drawled sarcastically.

Deena smiled flirtatiously in his direction, and Saul rolled his eyes. She'd been trying so hard to get with their Master, even though he hadn't even blinked in her direction. In fact, most of the females were quite enamored with him, yet he showed no real interest in any of them.

"Yeah... I um... we... we... hit a bit of a snag tonight, Sir..." Saul muttered reluctantly.

"We? Saul?" the Master asked, catching the matchbox in one hand, he didn't toss it into the air again. "Funny, I see only one lame-ass vampire grovelling in front of me."

Saul gulped, Dustin eyed him suspiciously. "That-that'd be the problem..."

The Master took one of the matches out of the box and struck it along the side, letting it burn between his fingers. "Oh?"

Saul watched the match burn down, closer and closer to his fingertips, before he tossed it across the table, in the direction of Saul's feet, before pulling another match out of the box and lighting it again.

"It's Tom... and Malcolm. They're dead." he breathed.

He shook out the match and flicked it onto the floor. "Dead?" he lit another match.

"I'm sorry, Sir, we-we got attacked, none of us saw her coming... she came out of nowhere! Tom was dust in a matter of minutes, and Malcolm... God, Malcolm couldn't even take her! She - " his rambling stopped when the Master threw the match at his feet again, this time still lit. He stepped back to avoid the flame.

"She?" the Master probed, another match lit between his fingers. He swung his legs off the table and was completely enveloped by the darkness, save for the glow of the flame in his hand.

"Y-yes... she. It was a girl... she said she was a Slayer."

A low chuckle drifted out of the darkness where the Master sat. Deena was staring at Saul quizzically, and Dustin's eyes had grown a bit wider. The flame drifted forwards, and two elbows appeared on the table. "This town just keeps getting better and better!" he marveled before a chuckle bubbled up inside him again, "A Slayer, you say?" he asked, as his face appeared, illuminated by the match still clutched in his hand, now next to his face. He appeared to be no older than his mid-twenties, his dark hair spiked up messily, and his chocolate brown eyes twinkled mischievously in the firelight. A dark grin spread across his features.

"Yes, Angelus... she said she was a Slayer." Saul affirmed, and braced himself for another match to fly his way.

Angelus tossed the match behind him into the darkness and it extinguished with a small ribbon of smoke. "Looks like the fun is just about to begin..."

~o~

**Oooh, cliffhanger!  
There's a reason for this whole Angelus thing, just bare with me, and it'll all make sense in a few more chapters!**

**Chapter 6 next week.  
**


	6. Chapter 6: Old Faces, New Places

**Thank you to the few people who have written reviews so far, it's very appreciated.**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

~o~

_"And it's like someone else is driving  
Like this body isn't mine  
Changed myself without even telling you  
Or even asking and I need relief "_

- "Stealing Tomorrow" by The Great Lake Swimmers

Chapter 6: Old Faces, New Places

Buffy sat on her front porch, her messenger bag at her side. The sun was warm for an autumn day, as it played through the turning leaves, casting patterns on her lawn. She was waiting for Olly. He'd called her earlier that morning to say that he'd drive her into school, she'd now been sitting here for almost ten minutes, slowly picking apart a bagel, as she strained her hearing for any signs that Olly's death-trap of a car was nearing. Finally, when she was seconds away from pulling out her phone and calling him, the dirt-brown convertible puttered up the street and idled at the end of her driveway. Holding the remains of her bagel between her teeth, she threw the strap of her bag over her shoulder and hurried down the path. Noticing that Lily was absent, she hopped into the passenger seat, and Olly pulled away.

"Sorry I'm late, engine trouble." Olly grumbled, Buffy noticed his hands were stained with black grease, and there was a large smear like he'd tried to wipe it off unsuccessfully down the thigh of his right pant leg.

"No worries, where's Lily?" she asked.

"She doesn't start class until one o'clock on Mondays, remember?"

She didn't. "Oh yeah." she replied anyway, though she had remembered quite a bit regarding Madeline's life over the weekend, there were still small details that eluded her. She wondered if everything would ever clear itself up, or if she'd be left to fill in the blanks on her own. She hoped Giles would have some answers when she went to meet him that night. She hadn't gone to see him at all Sunday, it turned out that Sunday's were when she and her father spent some quality time together, plus she'd had homework to work on. She shook herself out of her thoughts, startled slightly that she'd thought of him as _her_ father. She was extra anxious now to see Giles, not only with hopes of getting answers, but also because she was eager to mention her patrol the other evening, as it seemed Giles' 'strange activity' theory may be valid after all.

"So, what have you got this morning, Maddy?" Olly asked.

"Uh..." Buffy paused, she couldn't remember right away, but suddenly it seeped through her conscious "mythology".

Olly laughed, "I still can't believe you took that, of all classes! Really Maddy!"

"Shut up!" Buffy giggled, in reality she couldn't believe she was taking it either, she was going to have to really concentrate to pull off good grades and keep everyone from getting suspicious of her. However, she had found it surprisingly less gruelling than she'd thought it would be while working on her art history paper the day before. "It's an elective... I don't know..."

"Don't worry Maddy, I won't tell anyone what a nerd you are." Olly winked at her, "Besides, I'm taking "The Graphic Novel" as my elective, so who am I to talk? I'm going to University to study comic books... who's going far in life? This guy!"

Buffy smiled and shook her head. Olly was a good guy, and so much like Xander. She was relieved that even though she'd been thrown into this bizarre situation, that she at least had good people surrounding her, it was making things much easier to deal with.

"Don't worry then Olly, I won't reveal your nerdism to the world either." she taunted.

Olly's goofy grin appeared again, "Good. So we have an understanding."

Buffy flashed a smile back at him, then settled back in the car seat and continued munching her bagel contentedly.

Before long, they had pulled into the campus parking lot, and Olly navigated his automobile into an adequately sized parking spot, grumbling about how not everyone in the world owned a compact car. Sliding out of the car, she headed towards the main building with Olly at her side.

"Oh!"Olly suddenly exclaimed, "I almost forgot, Lily's been begging me to go to the Orchard with her Thursday night, apparently Shutterbug is playing... you know that band, with that drummer she's secretly mooning over." it was easy to tell that his enthusiasm was lacking, he didn't even attempt to feign interest in this social outing, in fact, it seemed more like Olly was using Lily's absence as an opportunity to mope. Buffy racked her brain for any memories of perhaps Olly confessing to liking Lily as more than a friend, but she was coming up blank. With nothing else to go on, she decided to just wing it.

"Well... maybe we should just go," she offered. By the bewildered sad-puppy look now on Olly's face, she knew it was probably the wrong answer, and that the inkling she had of Olly being in love with Lily was probably valid. "I mean," she continued, "We should all go just to hang out... plus we can show her what cocky butt-wipes musicians usually are."

Olly's usually chipper disposition was instantly restored, "You're an evil genius Maddy, I knew there was a reason I hung out with you!" he cheered, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and appreciatively squeezing her to his side.

"My evil musings are at your disposal anytime, oh master... except for right now, because I'm gonna be late for class." Buffy ducked out from under Olly's arm and took a few steps away from him.

"3:30 at the cafe, as usual?" he asked.

"You got it," she called behind her as she scurried towards the nearest entrance, wondering what she'd just agreed to.

~o~

With mere minutes to spare, Buffy slid into the auditorium, and settled herself into an empty seat next to the aisle. Thankfully, the professor hadn't shown up yet, so she took a few minutes to flip through Madeline's notebook and see what she was getting herself into. As she quickly scanned through the scribbles on the page she became aware that she actually remembered writing a lot of the notes. Goosebumps crawled over her flesh as the eerie reality of carrying two sets of memories washed over her once more. On the verge of panic, she slammed the notebook closed just a little too hard, causing a hand-out to slide out of the pocket folder in the back of it. Picking it up from where it landed at her feet she realized it was the course syllabus. She scanned her eyes over the page when the name of the Professor at the top of the sheet caught her eye. Just as she was about to sprint out of the classroom, the door swung open and a blur of bright red hair flew to the desk at the front of the classroom and deposited her things rather unceremoniously on it's surface. Raking her hand quickly through her hair, then shrugging off her blazer, Willow Rosenberg turned to face the class.

"Sorry everyone! Let's get started." she chirped as she pulled a laptop out of her bag, then flipped open an overstuffed file folder.

Buffy gazed in disbelief at her former best friend. Seeing as it had been months since she'd seen or heard from Willow before this strange accident, was overwhelming enough for the Slayer-turned-student, but that coupled with Buffy's longing for some sort of familiarity or anchor to reality in this whirlwind of bizarre events made it almost impossible for her to fight the tears that sprang to her eyes. She lowered her head, hoping the curtain formed by her hair would keep anyone from noticing her tears, before finally glancing back up to the front of the class.

Having never seen Willow in a professional setting before, it was odd for Buffy to see her talking so passionately and animatedly in front of such a large crowd - that is, when there wasn't impending doom. It was the same Willow she'd always remembered, only slightly more polished and stern. She didn't take a single note the whole class, she simply got lost in observing her friend. To an outsider, no one would see anything wrong with the young professor, she was confident and well versed in the course material, however when she paused, Buffy could see the turmoil raging behind her green eyes. The long wait before she could see Giles felt almost unbearable now, and in frustration she accidentally snapped her pen in her hand.

~o~

After surviving through the agony that was sitting through Willow's lecture without jumping to her feet and screaming that she was Buffy and she was alive, the rest of the day seemed to crawl by at a snail's pace. When 3:30 finally rolled around, she found herself slumped in a cafe chair, seated around a table with Lily and Olly, pretending to be engaged in their conversation. After only a half hour, her impatience got the best of her and she bid goodbye to her friends, claiming she had a lot to finish up on her art history paper at home.

Heading towards town, some of the anxiety that had built up over the course of the day began to ebb, and she was thankful that Giles was generally a calming influence, being that the only other way she ever blew off steam was slaying, and it was the middle of the day. Rounding the corner to the main street, she quickened her pace until she reached the shop front and pulled open the door. Unsurprisingly, the shop was empty, save for Giles himself, who sat behind the register pouring over a large dusty tome. Looking up from its pages, his eyes brightened slightly when he saw who'd entered the shop.

"Ah, Buffy!" he exclaimed quietly as he rose from his seat.

"Giles... boy do I have some things to tell you!" she sighed before flopping down into a chair at the table.

"Oh?" Giles responded, as he closed the large leather-bound volume, lay it delicately down on the counter, then rose to join Buffy at the conference table.

"'Oh' is right..." she teased, "first, it looks like there might be something to your theory after all."

"Please elaborate Buffy," Giles sighed, removing his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose, although he was happy to see Buffy, he'd been buried in that book for most of the morning, and the long hours attempting to decipher the ancient text had taken it's toll on his eyes and his nerves.

"I went patrolling Saturday night, caught three vamps trying to make a midnight snack out of two high school kids."

"Patrolling? Buffy, I would think by now you would have stopped being so careless, what if you didn't have your strength?" Giles scolded.

"Relax Giles, I wouldn't have gone if I thought I would have been in danger." Buffy retorted. She wondered if her now youthful appearance was bringing out the protectiveness in Giles.

"Yes... well... what was the outcome?" he huffed.

"Two vamps dusted, one ran away, kids will live to neck another day."

"Did you follow the one that ran?" Giles questioned.

"No... I guess I was just too hyped up on adrenaline, I didn't even think of it." she admitted sheepishly. She was suddenly embarrassed to meet Giles' eyes, she'd let the rush of her first kill in this body get the best of her, and instead of following through and doing some recon work, she'd let a chance at finding out where a potential vampire lair was.

"It's no matter Buffy... I'm sure we'll have other chances, what's important right now is that we have proof that there could potentially be something peculiar happening here in Braebrook."

"Willow is one of my professors." Buffy blurted. Though she knew it was important that they discover why there was such a large vampire population in such a small town, the other issue on her mind and been sitting back there, gnawing at her for too long. She missed her friend, seeing her again had reminded her of just how much. She was also eager to question Giles about whether or not he'd managed to do any research on her current condition.

"Oh my..." Giles muttered.

"You're chalk-full of useful exclamations today Giles..."

"Yes, erm, I'm sorry Buffy." he offered feebly.

"She didn't recognize me... but... I want to know what's going on Giles." Buffy pleaded.

"I've been looking into it, I assure you, but it hasn't been easy." Giles began, "I've already contacted the Council and they're just as stumped as I am. They told me they would consult their resources and get back to me as soon as they discover anything."

Buffy sighed, "So we're still no closer..."

"I'm afraid not." Giles admitted, "Conversely, I have yet to discover any temporary situations similar to your own, so if you were worrying this was some sort of... of... possession or something of the like, it's not looking to be that way either."

"I guess it's good to know I'm not going to go all Linda Blair on you... do people my age even know who that is? Jeez, I'm going to have to brush up on my pop culture references..." she rambled, which resulted in Giles cracking a slight smile.

"I think you'll be just fine Buffy... you've gotten something no one ever gets: a second chance."

Buffy sighed again, and smiled wryly, "I guess I should try to look at this from a more positive angle until we figure out what's going on. I mean, this beats being dead I suppose."

Giles reached out and patted her hand comfortingly, "We'll figure everything out Buffy, just have patience."

"I know Giles," she stood and stretched, "I guess I should get going. Family waiting and whatnot... I'll come back tomorrow after class, let you know how patrol went - and yes, I'm going to keep patrolling. I need to to keep my sanity... I'll be okay, so don't get your knickers in a knot."

"I see your new found youth has brought back some old habits," Giles scoffed, referring to her recently sharpened tongue.

Buffy smiled at him reassuringly, "What is it they say about old habits?"

He returned the smile, "Be careful Buffy," he said, pushing his glasses back up his nose.

"I always am," she replied, then slinging her bag back over her shoulder, walked briskly out of the shop.

~o~

**I don't actually think musicians are "butt-wipes". In fact, I'm engaged to one, so I hope no one is offended ;)**

**I feel like this chapter is a bit boring on its own, I guess it's mostly character development and filler, so I'm going to post Chapter 7 right away because it's much more exciting! (Not that I'm trying to toot my own horn or anything...)**

**Review? Pretty please?  
**


	7. Chapter 7: Angels and Demons

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

~o~

Chapter 7: Angels and Demons

Nightly patrols had become quite active since Buffy's encounter with Saul. She was dusting a minimum of two or three vampires a night, so by the time Thursday rolled around, and she found herself walking down a quiet downtown side street with Lily and Olly at her side, she was pretty on edge. Once they entered the Orchard, and she led her friends to a table where she could keep her back to the wall, and her eyes on the room in front of her, she relaxed a bit. The Orchard, as it turned out, was Braebrook's local hotspot for the under-aged crowd. Rather reminiscent of The Bronze, it was where all the high school and college kids could gather to listen to some live music, and consume overpriced beverages. When they arrived, the band was already onstage setting up their gear. Lily had taken note of this, and was gazing dreamily at a boy with shaggy brown hair who was languidly putting together a drum kit. She hopped off her stool and combed a hand through her hair quickly.

"I'm gonna go say hi to Joel before they start sound checking, I'll be right back!" she beamed and skipped off to the side of the stage. Olly watched her go with his chin cupped in his hand, and a rather forlorn look on his face, one that Buffy had seen worn by Willow countless times at the beginning of their friendship, while Xander was off chasing other girls. She punched him playfully in the arm.

"Cheer up, she's just saying hi."

"Yeah, for now!" Olly sighed "How can I compete with that? He's in a band, he's got those drummer reflexes... I've got... a puke brown jalopy..."

Buffy couldn't help giggling, "I know it sounds cliché Olly, but don't worry about things like that. If it's meant to happen, it will. You just have to let things run their course." she consoled.

"Really? Well at this rate we'll both be old and grey before that happens..." he grumbled.

"Don't be such a pessimist, and really, try to cheer up because she's coming back,"

Just as she finished her sentence, Lily came bounding back towards the table with a huge grin on her face, "He told me to stick around after their set!" she giggled, then slid back into her seat, squeezing his arm she turned to Olly, her eyes still twinkling, "Isn't that great? Tell me it's great!"

He cracked a crooked and forced grin, then replied, "Good for you kiddo," before sliding out of his stool, "Drinks, Ladies? It's on me." The girls nodded, and Olly sauntered off to the bar. Buffy watched him go, feeling sorry for his bruised ego, before turning her attention to a broken nail she'd forgotten about after last night's patrol. Once Olly was out of sight, Lily slid into his seat, next to Buffy.

"Hey Maddy..." she began softly.

Buffy looked up from her hands to her friend, "Yeah?" she asked.

Lily looked hesitant, but continued anyway, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay, you've been pretty quiet lately."

Buffy panicked internally just a little bit, she began to wonder if she wasn't doing a decent enough job pretending to be Madeline. Hoping to be convincing, she smiled reassuringly, "I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind, that's all."

"I know. And I really didn't want to bring it up tonight, but we haven't really had much time to talk at all this past week, and well... with everything that happened this time last year, I just wanted to make sure you were okay, and that you know you can always come to me and Olly if you need to." Lily continued.

Without even having to think about it, Buffy immediately knew what Lily was referring to: Madeline's mother had died of cancer this time last year. She could clearly remember her father pulling her out of school one afternoon, telling her things weren't looking good, and speeding off to the hospital. They'd sat by her mother's bed the whole night, and she slipped into a coma before finally passing away. Buffy began to get emotional, and was having a hard time determining whether it was the memory of Madeline's mother's death, or whether the situation had reminded her of her own mother's untimely passing. Biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from crying, she turned again to Lily.

"I know Lil. Thanks."

Before the conversation could continue, Olly returned, cappuccinos in hand, and slid two across the table to the girls. Sliding into the empty chair, he raised his mug.

"To the uncertain future" he toasted, shooting Buffy a knowing smile.

She smiled back at him wryly, as she and Lily raised their mugs to meet his, "To the future." she echoed.

After the band had played, the trio were still sitting at their table, however the mood had changed drastically. Olly sat in smug silence as he spun his mug around in his hands, while Lily slumped in her chair, arms crossed at her chest, glaring at the flock of girls around Joel, her dreamy drummer. Buffy eyed the two of them, unsure of how to break them out of their separate reveries.

"This isn't fair!" Lily fumed finally, "He told me to stick around! Not... not those bimbos!"

"Well, then just go butt in, kick some bimbo ass - or just say hi" Olly comforted her, though he was just barely concealing his triumphant grin.

"Or you could just wait for the crowd to die down." Buffy offered.

"Yeah," Olly said, "we'll wait with you, right Maddy?"

"Sure." Buffy agreed, however realizing that this was the perfect opportunity to give the two of them some alone time, slid out of her chair. "But first, I'm just gonna go get some air, I'll be back in a few."

"Sure." Lily sighed, before turning back towards the gaggle of girls fawning over Joel. When Buffy was sure she was distracted enough, she winked at Olly before beginning to walk away. He shook his head at her, then poked Lily in the ribs to get her attention.

~o~

Once outside, Buffy leaned against the stone wall next to the door. The street was essentially empty, there was a group of girls just turning the corner onto the main street, and a couple standing against the building on the other side of the street that Buffy was trying her hardest to not pay any attention to. It had been almost a week now since she'd awoke here, and the fact that she was beginning to like it so much almost scared her more than not knowing how she'd gotten into this situation did. She'd begun to wonder over the past few days whether she would actually want to give up living Madeline's life if Giles and the council did ever find a way to reverse whatever had happened. Guilt wrapped itself around the pit of her stomach at the thought... she'd essentially stolen a young girl's life, though it was not by choice, what right did she have to keep it?

A piercing giggle cut into her thoughts, and against her better judgment she turned her attention to the couple across the way. At first she hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary, she'd been trying too hard to not invade their 'privacy', but now as she watched the raven haired girl take the lanky boy by the hand and pull him along the side of the building and around a corner into an alley, Buffy noticed that predatory gleam in her eye that she had never mistaken in her life. The girl was a vampire. Hoping the fight wouldn't take long enough for Lily and Olly to wonder where she'd gone, she crept slowly in the direction the couple had wandered off in, while pulling a stake out of her purse. Rounding the corner into the alley, Buffy saw the girl had wasted no time jumping on her prey. She had already clamped her mouth onto his throat, while the skinny adolescent flailed helplessly against the brick wall. Buffy cleared her throat loudly, and the vampire whipped her head around to face her.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that you shouldn't eat things you find on the street?" Buffy quipped.

The boy wasted no time in fleeing the alley once the vampire had loosened her hold on him. With his hand pressed against his throat, he sprinted as fast as he could out of the alley. The vampire growled.

"You can catch all sorts of nasty diseases..." she continued as the vampire began to creep backwards slowly, suddenly, another figure stepped out of the shadows next to the young girl.

"Nice work Deena," he said, the moonlight reflected off of his bald scalp, and his sardonic smile was framed by a dark goatee, "Remember me, Slayer?" he questioned.

"Hmm, Saul, right?" Buffy asked. "I think so... but maybe if I see the back of your head it'll refresh my memory," she teased.

He chuckled, then rubbed his hands together, "You caught me off guard, but this time I came with some friends."

Out of the shadows stepped three more vampires, one tall and built with menacing eyes and long dreadlocks, the other two, however, already in their game faces just looked like more run of the mill lackeys.

Buffy sighed, stepping into a fighting stance, "How come you guys can never play fair?"

Without a moments hesitation, the large vampire lunged at her and she narrowly dodged the attack. The girl, Deena, sidestepped her, and Buffy found herself face to face with the two lackeys. Wasting no time, she quickly took care of the two of them, before blocking another one of the large vampire's attacks, then turning back to Deena. She swung at Buffy, and tore through the sleeve of her coat with her nails. Buffy retaliated with a backhand to the side of her head, then kneed her in the stomach before staking her through the back. Mere seconds later, both Saul and the larger vampire were on top of her. She threw Saul into the nearby wall, then managed to land a solid roundhouse kick to the other vampire's chest. Barely phased, he swung at her again, but she caught his fist, and managed to land another punch to his jaw. By then, Saul had regained his senses, and grabbed her right fist, spinning her away from the other vampire. She managed to use the momentum to swing out her leg and trip him before spinning the rest of the way around and using her left hand to punch Saul in the temple. He stumbled backwards, and Buffy turned ready to block another attack by the dreadlocked vampire, when a voice cut through the darkness.

"That's enough Dustin... Saul." it called. The two vampires dropped their fists, and melted back into the shadows of the alley. Immediately, the sound of a single person applauding cut through the silence. Buffy kept her fists raised, and turned slowly in a circle, peering into the darkness for the source of the noise.

"I'm impressed Slayer!" it chuckled, "It's been awhile since I've come across someone as young as you with that much skill..."

"I've had a lot more practice than it may seem," she hissed, still turning.

"Clearly..." the voice agreed.

There was something about the disembodied voice that was putting her more on edge than normal, she knew that voice. Goosebumps were beginning to form on her flesh, and her senses were going into overdrive.

"So, are you going to come out here and introduce yourself? Or are you just going to send more lackeys to do your dirty work?" she growled.

The voice chuckled again, "Patience clearly isn't your strong suit... you're lucky I'm feeling indulgent."

"Get on with it," she spat.

From the shadows, a tall figure began to approach, as he stepped into the sickly yellow glow being cast by the streetlight, the blood in Buffy's veins ran cold. Her breath caught in her throat, and without thinking she dropped her fists to her side.

It couldn't possibly be, yet he was standing right in front of her with the same menace in his eyes, and devilish smirk smeared across his lips. It grew wider as he studied her face.

"From the look on your face, I'd say you may have heard of me." he sneered.

"I may have... Angelus." Buffy choked.

His grin grew wider, and he rubbed his hands together, "I guess they're educating you new Slayers better than they used to,"

Buffy tightened her grip around her stake, and brought her fists back up into position, "What are you doing here?"

Still grinning, he took a step towards her, she stood her ground. "It doesn't matter what I'm doing here, you won't live long enough to find out."

"Bring it on." Buffy growled.

Suddenly, Angelus lashed out, grabbing her by the hair and flinging her face first into the wall. Leaving her pinned there, he brought his lips next to her ear.

"Don't worry Slayer," he spat, "This isn't the end. Not here, not now... I haven't had my fun with you yet." he punctuated his threat with a deep growl, then roughly released his grip on her. Buffy spun around quickly, her back still pressed against the cold brick, but found herself completely alone in the alley. Shaking, she sunk to her knees, and began to take deep breaths to calm herself. Her mind raced, unable to comprehend the sheer impossibility of what had just occurred. Finally, through the panic and confusion, she remembered Lily and Olly - had he found them? She stumbled to her feet, and ran back towards the Orchard.

~o~

Flying down the stairs, she exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in, once she saw Lily and Olly still sitting where she'd left them, talking animatedly and laughing. Smoothing her hair and straightening her clothes, Buffy tried her best to conceal her agitation as she returned to the table and slid back into her chair.

"Hey, looks who's back! We thought you forgot about us!" Olly quipped.

Buffy smiled stiffly, "I was just... enjoying the night air." she sighed.

Lily frowned, and touched Buffy's arm, "You ripped your jacket." she stated.

Buffy swallowed hard, she'd forgotten about her ruined coat sleeve. "Oh... I must have caught it on something outside." she lied halfheartedly.

Olly gave her a puzzled look, and Lily just inspected the tear silently.

"That's too bad," Lily began finally, "it's a nice jacket."

Buffy stared into space, she had more important things to worry about than the state of her outerwear. "Yeah... too bad." she agreed, but her mind was already a lifetime away, remembering the last time those gentle mahogany eyes had looked at her with such malice.

_"Your eyes, followed me here.  
Your eyes, seamless and sure.  
They leave me broken and, in need of a cure. "_  
- "Silhouette" by Thrice

~o~

**I apologize for the poorly written fight scene, it's not one of my strengths unfortunately.**

**Also, there will only be bits and pieces of Madeline's life revealed throughout the story. What her life was like before Buffy ended up in her body isn't really important to what Buffy will be going through, but I have created somewhat of a past for her where needed.**

**In the next chapter, we'll finally find out what caused Angelus to return!**

**Review? Pretty, pretty please?  
**


	8. Chapter 8: Truth Unearthed

**Sorry I'm updating so late in the day, there was a power failure this morning, I spent the better part of the afternoon sewing my Halloween costume**, **and then my router was being a colossal a-hole and not letting me sign on to my network. Alas, here's the next chapter! It's pretty short... it's amazing how much longer things seem while you're trying to write them, then looking back they're barely 3 pages... anyway, I'll post another chapter tomorrow since this isn't much to read. Enjoy!**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far.**

* * *

~o~

_"I used to look at others trying to find some way to grow_  
_ And now I just look around me_  
_ I'm going to reap the seeds I've sown"_  
- "Oslo" by The Wooden Sky

Chapter 8: Truth Unearthed

The kettle screeched to life, and Giles rose from his worn corduroy armchair to switch off the burner. Pouring the steaming water into his mug, he leaned against the kitchen counter as he waited for his tea to steep. The moderately sized, loft apartment above his bookstore was much smaller than what he was used to residing in, however he was getting used to the confined, yet cozy surroundings. It did help, he decided, that he could keep the majority of his personal library in his office downstairs, it did free up a lot more room. At the speed at which the decision had been made that he would come back to the United States, he hadn't had much time to look for a place to live. The cover of the bookstore seemed to fit, and the small apartment just above it convenient enough, so he'd gone with it without a second thought. He'd considered at first that he would look for a larger place if he decided to stay long term, but he was beginning to like the simplicity of living small. Besides, he did still have his flat in London he could return to if he wished.

His thoughts wandered back to the large tome that was lying out on his coffee table. A sizable crate had arrived at his bookstore early this morning from the Council containing some volumes they thought may be helpful in uncovering the reason behind Buffy's mysterious resurrection. With such a large collection of old resources back at their headquarters, Giles' contacts had decided they would make better progress if they could ship part of it to Giles. He'd spent a better part of the day reading. He was thankful that he didn't need the income from the bookstore to live off of, he was lucky if he had more than one person wander in from the streets in a day, which was beneficial to his research, but not so much to his bank account. He'd managed to rule out many of his sources in the past week alone thanks to the amount of free time he'd had.

Rubbing the back of his neck he sighed. Though Buffy's miraculous appearance had filled him with a joy he hadn't felt in years, for the time being it was overshadowed by their shared uncertainty. He was just as worried as Buffy was that in a moment she would drift away, or that perhaps that there was something sinister responsible for her reincarnation. He hadn't begun to research any potential prophecies yet, however knowing Buffy's track record he wasn't looking forward to what he may uncover once he got to them. He had his work cut out for him, especially considering when it came to his own library, he was on his own.

Hiding this from Willow for the past week had been difficult. While he'd found a great amount of solace in knowing that his beloved Slayer was still alive, her best friend was still mourning her loss. Willow had taken Buffy's death much harder than he had, especially as it had come a mere month after Xander's. Giles hoped he would find some answers soon, if anything so he would at least be able to potentially ease the pain of the young sorceress.

Suddenly, he was startled from his thoughts by a loud pounding coming from the door. Unaccustomed to nighttime visitors, Giles instinctively reached for a small dagger he kept concealed in the cushion of his armchair, and crept slowly towards the sound. Wrapping his hand slowly around the handle, making sure the dagger was hidden behind his back, he opened the door only a crack, to find a bewildered looking Buffy standing on the other side, visibly short of breath. Placing the dagger down on the kitchen counter next to him, he opened the door the rest of the way, and moved aside to let her pass. She swept into the room in a huff, turned to face him, opened and shut her mouth a few times as if she were imitating a fish, before spinning on her heel and beginning to pace next to his kitchen table. Giles couldn't make heads or tails of her behaviour, but she was visibly shaken. After taking a few ragged breaths she finally paused and faced him again, he could now see her face was streaked with tears, and her eyes shone with ones that had yet to spill.

"When were you planning on telling me?" she spat.

Giles stared at the irate slayer. Though he was in the dark about her sudden outburst, a small knot of guilt tightened in the pit of his stomach, he hadn't been entirely honest to her about why he was suddenly back in the U.S., and by the looks of things, she'd discovered what it was before he'd had the chance to tell her.

"Buffy, what -"

"I knew there was something you weren't telling me," she interrupted before Giles could even begin to ask her what was wrong, "I could see it all over your face when you told me why you were here, but I didn't question anything because I was just so relieved to see you! You, Willow, _Spike_, all in the same town, just because of some 'strange occurrences'... yeah right!"

"Buffy! Please, I don't understand..."

Her eyes became dark, they were a raging sea of anger and torment, "Angelus." she stated in a barely audible whisper.

Giles' gaze fell to the floor just in front of his feet, shame apparent on his features. After what seemed like an eternity, he removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he crossed back to sit in his armchair. Buffy simply watched him in silence as he rested his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry Buffy,"

"Sorry?" she seethed, "You're sorry?"

"I didn't know how to tell you. You... you were already dealing with so much." Giles exhaled. "I swear, I wasn't purposely trying to hide it from you."

All the rage seemed to melt out of Buffy's small frame, the emotional exhaustion of the past week combined with this new revelation was too much. She looked to Giles with haunted eyes, "H-how?" she asked in a small voice.

Giles replaced his glasses on his nose, and leaned back in his chair, he seemed a million miles away, lost in his thoughts. "It was after I told him... well, told him of your death." he began, "He completely lost his mind, he was inconsolable... none of us really know exactly what happened, but Willow's theory is that his soul just retreated into his body, unwilling to hold onto existence anymore."

Buffy felt numb... once again, she was responsible for unleashing one of history's most vicious vampires on her friends.

"It was Willow who informed me he was here in Braebrook. He showed up at her front door about two weeks ago. Thankfully he'd never been invited in since she'd only moved the month before... who knows what would have happened if he could've gotten inside..."

Buffy swallowed stiffly, "What about the curse?" she stuttered, "Can't Willow..."

"She tried. It was unsuccessful. She believes since the soul was not released by a moment of true happiness, that the same spell can't bring it back." Giles explained.

Buffy was overwhelmed by how defeated Giles sounded, "If you can't save him... then why did you come here?" she asked.

Giles sighed, "I guess with everything that had just occurred... losing you, losing Xander... I didn't want to give up so easily on Angel, I thought I could find a way to bring him back."

"And have you?" Buffy asked hopefully.

"No. Nothing. And quite frankly, discovering why you're here has become my priority."

Buffy squeezed her eyes shut, her thoughts raced, there had to be some sort of solution - but only one was clear in her mind. If she was stuck in this body, it was time to exorcise the demons from her past... and maybe, just maybe, this was the reason why she was here.

"Don't worry Giles," she said firmly, "I'll take care of everything."

Giles finally turned to face her again, the sorrow and rage which had been so evident on her face when she arrived was now being masked by resolve, "What do you plan to do?"

She hesitated a beat before speaking, she wondered if she would regret the decision she was about to make.

"What I never had the strength to do before; I'm going to kill him."

~o~

**Alright, so I know a lot of you are probably going to criticize my explanation for why Angelus is back, but please just bare with me, I will delve deeper into this, and it makes more sense (I hope). There's still a lot that remains to be revealed about this whole crazy adventure Buffy is having, just sit back and enjoy the ride!**

**While writing the opening for this chapter, I discovered that I actually really like writing fuddy-duddy Giles. I know he loosened up a little bit in later seasons of _Buffy, _but I figured that with age he probably would've fallen back into old habits. I was worried at first I wouldn't be able to get inside his head, but I guess I have an inner stuffy-British-librarian**.

**Reviews are muchly appreciated. ;)**

**Until the next chapter.  
**


	9. Chapter 9: Silent Witness

**Trying to sew a Halloween costume with a 40 year old sewing machine is not conducive to posting fanfic... or doing anything else for that matter.**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to my reviewers!**

* * *

_"Hey little bird,  
Fly away home,  
Your house is on fire,  
Your children are alone"_  
- "Jockey Full of Bourbon" by Tom Waits

~o~

Chapter 9: Silent Witness

Life had become exhausting for Buffy since Angelus had revealed himself. She was on her guard twenty four-seven, especially when it came to her friends and family. If her father worked late, she would sit in the living room clutching a book and staring out the bay window until she saw the headlights pull into their driveway. Walking around after dark with Lily and Olly, she was always tense and hyper-aware of her surroundings. The only time she felt like she could lower her defences was in school, where she now spent her days walking to and from class like a zombie, completely oblivious to the world around her. Some days it was if a hurricane could have roared past her in the hallways and she wouldn't have even blinked, and it was because of her current glazed-over condition, that she hadn't noticed Spike creeping up on her.

Spike, in contrast to Buffy, had kept a keen eye on the girl he knew as Madeline Cross since her peculiar outburst in class nearly two weeks before. After agonizing over whether or not he was losing his mind, he'd become certain that he wasn't hearing things, and that the girl had in fact called him "Spike" in the middle of class. He was determined to find out why. If there was a new Slayer in town, he felt it was his duty as an ex-vampire, to become her ally, and if she was something else... well, it was also his duty to discover what, and how to dispose of it in the quickest and most efficient way possible.

He hadn't gone to Giles or Red with his concerns yet, he wanted to be certain of what they were dealing with before troubling them, he knew they'd only let him tag along to Braebrook because they believed he'd be instrumental in taking care of his dear old pal The Scourge of Europe. Buffy had really been the only one to welcome him, though reluctantly, back into their clan when he'd shown up in England, but now that she was gone, the others were treating him like more of a burden. Rupert Giles had pulled some strings within the Council to get him the necessary documentation to be able to work here in the U.S. as a professor, but he was certain it was with hopes that after all this was said and done (providing Angelus didn't torture and kill them all first), he would stay behind and live his own life. With this new problem of Madeline Cross, however, Spike was becoming more certain that it would be harder than that for him to shake his past.

After trailing her down three corridors since he'd spotted her passing in front of his office, he'd finally managed to catch up with her. Walking directly beside her for a few paces, she had yet to notice him, and was clearly lost in thought.

"'Morning Madeline," he greeted her.

She jumped slightly, and turned to face him with a slightly confused and panicked look on her face.

"SsspProfessor! Good morning." she stammered.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." he apologized. He hadn't failed to notice how she corrected herself in greeting him.

"I-it's all right... I was in my own world." she replied, a cheerful, and very fake smile plastered on her face.

"Yes... that's actually why I wanted to talk to you," he improvised. He wished he'd thought through what he wanted to talk to her about a bit more clearly, before simply chasing her down the hallway on a whim. "You seem to be there... in your own world that is... a rather lot lately."

Buffy cringed inwardly, the last thing she wanted was to be interrogated by Spike. She was worried that their brief and sordid romance had given him some sort of insight that would blow her cover. "I, um, I just have a lot on my mind, that's all. You know finals are in a few weeks and... stuff. Maybe I've just been pushing myself a bit too hard." she lied.

Spike narrowed his glare at her quizzically. There was something familiar about this girl, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "I see. Well, if you need any help, don't hesitate to come see me." he offered.

Buffy had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. Spike, being helpful and gracious... if only Xander could see this.

Spike didn't miss the smirk playing on Madeline's lips, and he eyed her suspiciously. Her eyes twinkling with bemusement, she turned back towards him, "Thank you Professor. I've gotta get going now, I'll see you in class tomorrow." she said before hurrying ahead of him and turning into a nearby classroom.

There was definitely something strange about that girl... and Spike was determined to figure out what it was.

~o~

Buffy had spent the better part of the day being preoccupied with her bizarre conversation with Spike, it wasn't until much later that night while she was patrolling the graveyard that the paranoia and fear that had become such a constant in her life returned. It was a calm night. There was very little wind, and the stillness of the trees was unnerving. The number of vampires she saw in a night were dwindling; and she took that to be a very bad sign. She'd yet to have another encounter with Angelus, and she could only take that as meaning he was watching her from the shadows, gathering information about her, her life, and waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Feeling a bit too much like the mouse in a game of cat and mouse had Buffy's blood boiling. While preoccupied with the safety of her friends and family, she was only filled with dread, but at night while patrolling on her own she was able to feel the anger bubbling up inside of her, she was almost livid at being thrown into this situation again. Angelus clearly had no idea who she really was, but she knew that wouldn't change his game plan. She knew for the time being, the less she saw of him, the more complex the mind games would be once they started. She hoped she would be able to destroy him before he had a chance to begin, but with the lack of lackeys to interrogate, things were beginning to look quite hopeless.

It was just as the frustration was beginning to get the best of her that Buffy heard a slight rustle of a bush far to her right, and then the snap of a twig. Turning towards the noise, she peered into the darkness. Unable to make anything out, she began to creep slowly in the direction of the noise, stepping carefully in order to not give away her position. Once she cleared the bushes, she grinned triumphantly, as she discovered Saul sauntering slowly towards the exit of the graveyard, completely unaware that he wasn't alone. Circling around his position, she was careful to dodge between the tombstones and crypts until she was far enough ahead of him. Crouching behind a mausoleum, she waited for him to approach, then stepped out to obstruct his path.

"What the -"

"Hey Saul, miss me?" she chimed before slamming her fist into his temple.

Saul crumpled to the ground.

~o~

Saul swam to consciousness a short time later and found himself lying flat on his back on a rather hard surface. Perched high atop a stone pillar next to his head, an intricately carved angel with her wings spread wide looked down to him with a sorrowful expression on her face. He realized he was deep in the centre of the cemetery, lying underneath a large monument that had been erected to "protect all the lost souls" shortly after the old church had burned down. Wracking his throbbing brain on how he'd gotten there, it wasn't until Buffy's face appeared hovering over his own that he remembered being knocked down on his way back to the factory.

"Son of a bitch..." he mumbled, clutching his temple in his hand.

"Sorry Saul, I couldn't risk having you run off on me again."

"I wouldn't have run," Saul groaned, "But now you clearly have the upper hand."

Buffy smirked, "Clearly, that was the point."

Saul glared at the petite blonde peering down at him. Her hands pressed firmly against the stone on either side of his head, determination and resolve etched clearly on her face. Even if he hadn't seen her fight before, he would be intimidated by her at this moment in time.

"What d'you want from me?" he asked lazily, attempting to mask his nervousness.

"Just some information." she replied calmly, "If you give it to me, I'll let you walk away."

Saul laughed, "Yeah, right."

"I'm not a vampire Saul, I keep my word." she spat the word 'vampire' at him, and her eyes narrowed, his flippant attitude was making her lose her patience.

Swallowing unnecessarily, Saul weighed his options. In his current position he didn't foresee himself having the greatest odds of escaping. If he even attempted to move he was sure she would have him pinned to the ground again in mere seconds. He rolled his eyes, "Well? Let me have it! What do you need to know Dollface?"

Buffy slapped him hard across the cheek, "You don't get to give me nicknames... Cueball." she growled, rubbing his bald head roughly.

Saul brought his hand up to the side of his face, and he opened and closed his jaw a few times. "For the love of God Slayer, don't you know how to play Good Cop?"

She grabbed his chin roughly, forcing his face upwards to focus on her. "I'm gonna ask you this once, and only once, so you better quit with the banter and listen. Understand?"

He nodded stiffly in response.

"Good." she began. "I need you to tell me why Angelus is here."

Saul sighed, he knew she wasn't going to like or buy his answer. "I don't know."

Anger flashed in her eyes.

"Honestly. He showed up in town a few weeks ago, preaching that he had some sort of epic plan, but refused to share it with us until all the pieces were in place." he continued.

"What pieces?" she questioned.

"No clue. But he needs something in this graveyard, that's why he keeps sending us out here, to look for it, but we come back empty handed every time cause no one really knows what they're looking for..."

Buffy reflected back to when Angelus had discovered Acathla... she knew if he was looking for something, it was something big, and it was something dangerous. She felt it was even more urgent than ever that she take care of him before he got his hands on whatever this mysterious item may be, even if it meant she had to take him on before she was fully prepared to.

"Alright." she paused, and sighed, "I guess I'm gonna have to come at this from a different angle then." she stated, turning her eyes away from Saul's to stare up at the serene angel watching over the scene below. She shivered slightly, its face was so realistic, so full of emotion that Buffy almost felt as though it was judging her. Shaking off the paranoia, she turned back to Saul.

"Tell me where he is." she whispered.

Saul stared up at her in disbelief, "What?"

"You heard me." she hissed, "Tell me where Angelus is."

"Nuh-uh." Saul coughed. "Do you think I'm stupid? He'll kill me!"

"_I_ could kill you instead." Buffy threatened quietly.

"I told you what I know, you said you'd let me live!" he argued.

"If you want to live, you'll tell me where I can find Angelus."

"No way, that'd be suicide!" he barked.

Buffy clenched her teeth, and leaned back, away from Saul's face just slightly. "Alright, you asked for it." she sighed, then with one hand ripped the small cross from around her throat. Saul watched as she dangled it directly over his face.

"Wh-what are you doing? What are you doing with that?" he panicked.

"You know, the last vampire I did this to didn't fare so well, but you're not really leaving me any other options," Buffy stated flatly, before jamming the index finger of her free hand into Saul's mouth and attempting to pry open his teeth, "Now open up!" she grunted as she struggled against the strength of Saul's jaw.

"Nnngh! Nnngh!" Saul exclaimed, both his fists were around Buffy's wrist, yet he was unable to pull her hand free. Finally, she wrenched his teeth apart, and with her finger holding down his tongue she slowly began to lower the cross towards his mouth.

"Ogaye! OGAYE! I'll thalg!" Saul wailed as Buffy stopped, the cross mere millimetres away from Saul's lips. She removed her finger from his mouth, wiping his saliva off her finger on the shoulder of his jacket. She left the cross dangling above his mouth.

"Then talk." she demanded.

"He... he hides out in the old Sherman Wigs factory... just outside the new industrial park." he gasped.

Buffy pulled the cross away, stuffing it into her coat pocket, "See? Easy, wasn't it?"

"You're twisted, you know that?" he spat.

"Just doing what I gotta do," she sneered, pulling a stake from her coat.

"What the hell is that for?" Saul exclaimed.

"Well, I can't have you warning anyone that I'm on my way now, can I?" she asked.

"Wait, wait, you said -"

Without another moment to spare, Buffy slammed the stake down into Saul's chest, and he exploded into a cloud of dust. As it settled back down onto the stone platform, Buffy brushed the residue off the front of her coat and jeans. Casting one last doleful look up at the angel, Buffy turned and began slowly walking in the direction of the front gates.

~o~

Walking home, her inner turmoil had ebbed slightly. For the first time since she'd awoke, she'd gotten some answers to her problems, she had begun to construct a game plan, and felt like she had a purpose. The thought that had flitted through her head upon learning that Angelus had regained control returned to her; what if she was here to destroy him? What if that was the reason she'd been resurrected yet again? To finish the one thing she'd never been able to do.

Even if it wasn't the reason, thinking it at this particular moment in time gave Buffy the courage she felt she needed to complete what she'd set out to do. So consumed by her own thoughts, she found herself standing before her front door before she knew it. Pulling open the screen, a single piece of paper slid out of the crack between the door and the frame, and drifted slowly to her feet. Stooping to pick it up, she unfolded it, and terror gripped her heart. It was a sketch, done in charcoal, of Buffy and her father sitting together at the kitchen table, eating dinner. It was drawn as though the artist had been standing directly outside the kitchen window. Springing back up to her feet, she reached for the door handle and pushed the door open, it hadn't been locked. Buffy's heart beat so hard it echoed in her ears as she scanned her home for signs of an intruder. She shut the door as silently as possible behind her, then stood in the hallway, listening, but the only sound was her heavy breathing. Suddenly, the bathroom door swung open, and out stepped her father, his face half-covered in shaving cream, and his razor in his hand.

"Maddy, you're home late." he said.

Buffy exhaled sharply, and hid the sketch behind her back, "Sorry, lost track of time." she lied. She'd told him she was at Lily's studying.

Her father disappeared back into the bathroom. Buffy slipped off her shoes, took one last peek outside, made sure the door was locked and that the security chain was in place, then trudged to her bedroom. She pulled open the drawer in her bedside table and stuffed the sketch inside. Her father appeared in the doorway a couple of minutes later, wiping the remaining shaving cream off his face with a hand towel.

"I know you want to do well kiddo, but don't burn yourself out, okay?" he said.

Buffy looked up at the kindly man, and wondered if all her late nights slaying were starting to show. It was then that she noticed he was looking a little worn out himself, exhaustion and worry were apparent in his features.

"I won't, Dad, don't worry about me."

"I can't help it," he sighed, "you're still my little Maddy." he said with a nostalgic grin.

Buffy returned the smile, "Goodnight Dad" she said.

"Goodnight." he replied, then turned to leave the room.

"Hey, Dad?" she called suddenly.

He turned to face her again, "What is it?" he asked.

"There weren't any... strange visitors tonight were there?" she enquired.

His brow furrowed in puzzlement, "No, why do you ask?"

A small wave of relief washed over her, "No reason, it's nothing... I overheard something today, that's all."

"Are you sure?" he pressed.

"Yeah, it's nothing."

"Okay. Goodnight then."

"Goodnight."

After he'd shut the door, Buffy opened the drawer of her nightstand again and pulled out the drawing, studying her father's face. No one would hurt her loved ones this time around, she wouldn't give them the chance.

Tomorrow night would be Angelus' last.

~o~

**It makes me sad that I had to kill Saul, I enjoyed his brief existence.**

**I know Buffy was a little more brutal than normal in this chapter, I decided it was fitting because she must be terribly frustrated with everything going on around her. It's also been 13 years since she cratered Sunnydale, and I assume she's experienced some things in that time.**

**Finally, I'm sorry I made Spike human... so, so, sorry. I remember having such a hard time trying to write him in the beginning, but there is a pay-off for it in the long run, I promise you!**

**Until next week!**

**Reviewing is awesome... like tigers or dragons.  
**


	10. Chapter 10: Unraveled

**Happy Halloween to those who celebrate! With my costume finally done, and the festivities over with, I'm actually updating on time, hooray! Now instead of sewing furiously every night, maybe I can actually get back to working on one of my other stories.**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to review.**

* * *

Chapter 10: Unraveled

Pulling the crossbow out of the back of Giles' closet, Buffy studied it thoroughly. It was a very old model, completely wooden... in fact, she believed it was the very one she'd used all those years ago against the Master when she was sixteen, why Giles still had it was a mystery to her, but it seemed to still be in good working order, so she placed it by her side before digging into the back of the closet again and pulling out a small battle axe. She tucked it into her belt before diving back into the closet.

"Tonight, Buffy? Are you certain? We haven't had any time to prepare, it seems so careless-"

"There's no time Giles. I know where to find him, and I'm going to take him down. Now. Before anyone around me starts dying." Buffy interrupted.

Giles was silenced by her answer. He still, on the rarest of occasions, had nightmares of Jenny Calendar's lifeless body staring at him from his bed, and to avoid living through another horror of that nature seemed reasonable, however Buffy's suddenly reckless decision did have him worried. He wasn't entirely sure she was ready emotionally to face Angelus one on one.

"Willow has been taking every precaution necessary to stay out of Angelus' way, and I'm not entirely certain he even knows that Spike and myself are in town, if you give it just a few more days..."

He trailed off as Buffy reached into the back pocket of her jeans, retrieving a folded piece of paper, then tossed it at Giles' feet. He stooped to pick it up then unfolded it to discover a charcoal sketch of Buffy and an older man at a dinner table.

"I found that tucked in my front door last night. He knows where I live, he knows what my father looks like... there's a good chance he knows who my friends are, and that I'm in contact with you..." tucking a stake into the waistband of her jeans, she picked up the crossbow, then stood to face Giles, "I can't risk waiting another day Giles, every day I wait is a day someone might get killed."

Giles studied the petite teenager in front of him, though she looked nothing like Buffy, he could definitely recognize her in the girl's face. The one thing that stood out to him however, was that she carried herself like a woman, not like a teenaged girl, and behind her eyes he could see the determination of someone who had fought to survive. He found himself forgetting more and more often that this was a grown-up slayer standing in front of him, one who had come to accept the weight placed on her shoulders. She didn't need him to tell her when to fight her battles anymore. He knew she would need him however, when the battle was over, for emotional support, and to help her once she began agonizing over why she was here again.

"Good luck, Buffy." he whispered, "May you have the strength you need."

Buffy smiled at him sorrowfully, then without a word stepped past him and out the apartment door.

For all either of them knew, this could be the last time they would see each other.

~o~

Cloaked in darkness, Buffy surveyed the side door of the old factory from a small alley between two buildings just across the street. She'd counted almost twenty vampires that had filtered out of the warehouse in the past while, she couldn't imagine there being many more inside.

Deciding now would be her best chance, before the minions started to return, she crept slowly towards the door. She'd just made it to the wall when the door swung open once more. Pressing herself into the brick she held her breath, hoping whoever was about to exit wouldn't notice her right away. She was in luck, and the vampire stepped past her into the centre of the alley. It looked as though he was alone, so Buffy lunged towards him, grabbing him by the back of his coat and slamming him into the wall across the alley. Pulling the stake from the back of her jeans, she drove it through his back, and he was dust. Turning back towards the door, Buffy discovered a small female vampire standing just inside the door frame, frozen in shock. Before she had a chance to react, Buffy threw the stake at her, nailing her straight in the heart, in seconds she was dust, settling to the ground with her cohort. Stepping over the pile of ashes, Buffy inched her way through the door, and chose the most logical direction to find vampires; down the stairs.

The narrow hallway was dimly lit and grungy, she moved slowly and quietly, unsure of what may be lurking in the darkness. A few meters ahead, she could see a faint light coming from what looked like a doorway on the left hand side of the hallway. As she drew nearer, a tall figure stepped through the doorway, and turned in her direction.

"Who the -"

Reacting as swiftly as possible, Buffy pulled the crossbow out of its harness on her back and fired, hitting her target straight on. Not want to risk getting cornered in the corridor should anyone have seen the vampire burst into dust, she sprinted through the door into the room, where she found two vampires poised to attack in the middle of what looked like a large warehouse or production room. Deftly reloading her crossbow, she prepared for another fight, until footsteps began to echo through the room.

"Wait!" Angelus' voice boomed as he appeared from behind a large piece of machinery sitting in the back left corner of the warehouse. The two vampires dropped their fists, and turned to face their master.

"I suggest you two leave... this is going to get ugly." he chuckled, still approaching the centre of the room.

The vampires stalked around Buffy towards the exit, the smaller of the two growled as he passed, but Buffy never took her eyes off of Angelus. He glared at her with a mix of hunger and amusement.

"I've gotta say, Slayer... I underestimated you. I figured it would be at least a few more weeks before you tracked me down." he chuckled.

"Well, you can thank Saul for spoiling your fun... he really made it too easy for me." she retorted.

"I figured you may have had something to do with poor Saul's disappearance," he continued with a smile still playing on his lips, "But it doesn't matter, I've got every vampire in this town eating out of the palm of my hand, losing one isn't gonna set me back."

Buffy trained the crossbow on him, "You gonna stand there talking all day, or are we going to fight?" she hissed.

Angelus chuckled again, "You remind me of someone I used to know... it's a good thing you found me now, cause I would've made your life a living hell, just like I did hers."

In a flash of anger, Buffy squeezed the trigger on her crossbow, sending an arrow flying towards him. Without even blinking, he snatched the bolt out of the air and snapped it in two before dropping it to the ground.

"Is that the best you've got?" he laughed, slowly drawing closer to her. His eyes fell on the axe tucked in her belt and he chuckled in amusement, "Or are you waiting for a chance to decapitate me?"

Buffy tossed aside the crossbow and pulled out the axe, "If I get a close enough shot, I thought it would be fitting." she snapped.

He continued to approach her as though he wasn't even threatened, "Are you afraid you can't take me on your own?"

Against her better judgment, Buffy tossed the axe behind her, "Not at all." she muttered before charging him at full speed. She landed two solid right hooks to his jaw, then swung at him with her left. He caught her arm, blocking her punch, and twisted her around so she was pressed with her back to his chest, "Letting me win already?" he growled, morphing to his game face. Grabbing hold of his shoulder with her free hand, she bent at the waist and flipped him over her back. As he lay on the ground in front of her she attempted to bring her foot down on his throat, but he quickly rolled out of the way, then jumped to his feet.

They circled each other, waiting to see who would make the next move. Angelus finally lunged at Buffy, his fist connecting solidly with her left cheek, sending her stumbling back a few steps. He took the moment to retrieve Buffy's discarded axe, which was lying not far from his feet, and hurled it at her. Buffy narrowly stepped out of it's path, she felt the wind as it whizzed past her ear before it landed with it's head buried deeply in the top of a large wooden table behind her. She advanced on him again, assaulting him with a barrage of punches and kicks, some of which connected, some of which he blocked. Finally, he found an opening, and swinging his leg around in a large arc kicked her square in the ribs, sending her flying sideways into some old scaffolding that ran up the side of the warehouse to a window located high up near a catwalk. The old metal buckled upon the impact, and the already rickety structure creaked and groaned in protest to the assault. Angelus stormed towards Buffy, grabbed her by the throat and pinned her to the swaying tower.

"You shouldn't have come slayer... you weren't ready. Now when I decide to hunt down your friends, your family, and everyone else in this town, there'll be no one here to stop them." he taunted.

Buffy's eyes filled with rage as she clawed at his iron grip, "They'll send another..." she gasped.

He chuckled, "And I'll take her down too. And the one after that, and the one after that..." he muttered as he brought his face closer to hers, "I'll kill them all." he growled.

Deciding to test her luck with the scaffolding, she grabbed a crossbeam to her right and wrenched it from it's place. The groaning grew louder as she brought the beam down across Angelus' back. His grip loosened enough for Buffy to dive out of the way as the structure came crashing to the ground in a heap of rusted iron. He just barely managed to slip out of the way, but Buffy swung the beam once again, smashing him in the side of the head. Momentarily stunned, Buffy grabbed him and slammed him into a bent metal pole that was protruding from the wreckage. It slid through his midsection with a sickening squish and exited just underneath his ribcage. Angelus looked down at the wound, propped up against the pile of debris like some sort of ghastly puppet and laughed.

"You missed."

Breathing heavily, Buffy took in the sight in front of her. The image of Angel pinned by her sword to Acathla flashed in front of her eyes, and she began to tremble. Tearfully, she looked into Angelus' eyes; his empty, vacant eyes. She wanted so badly to see them full of emotion, any emotion, even if it was only confusion. Anything so that she could pull him off the spear, tell him her story, that she was scared, that she needed him... but there was nothing but a demon staring back at her. Looking down at her feet, she discovered half of the crossbow bolt he had snapped earlier, she bent down slowly to retrieve it.

"No, no I didn't." she replied quietly, her full attention focused on the broken piece of wood in her hand as she advanced towards him.

He struggled slightly to lift himself off of the pole, however, bringing his attention back to Buffy's face, he stopped. Stopping no more than a foot in front of him, she looked back up to his face, the bolt gripped so tightly in her hand that her knuckles were white, her breathing ragged, and her eyes full of tears that she was fighting with all her strength to hold back.

Angelus' eyes bore into hers, and his expression changed to one of bewilderment before an unbelieving chuckle escaped his throat.

"Buffy?" he gasped.

Buffy froze, her heart pounded in her throat as his chuckle grew louder in her ears.

"Buffy." he repeated.

She felt a single tear slip down her cheek as she lifted the bolt, "Never again, Angelus." she whispered.

With her eyes squeezed shut, she brought her fist down onto his chest. The bolt buried itself in his heart, and she heard him gasp.

Opening her eyes, she found him staring at her wide eyed, his mouth agape in either shock or pain before it returned to it's malicious smirk. He lifted his hand, and reached out to touch her face, his fingers already slowly disintegrating into dust. Buffy stepped out of his reach hastily, and his smile grew wider.

"Good for you." he wheezed, then exploded into ashes.

Buffy dropped to her knees as the tiny bits of Angelus swirled around her head. She closed her eyes and waited.

Nothing.

She opened her eyes again to find herself still sitting in the warehouse, facing a pile of crumpled iron and scattered ashes.

"No." she whispered, "No..." as the tears she'd held back began to stream down her cheeks. She looked up, as though she could see the heavens through the ceiling of the old factory.

"Why am I here?" she whimpered.

Her question was only answered with the deafening silence of the abandoned building.

_"Where was I meant to be?  
I feel I'm lost in a dream  
Long for the day I can be myself "_  
- "Unleashed" by Epica

~o~

**Um, please don't hate me for killing Angelus? Everything in this story happens for a reason, and to ease your minds, just remember that not everyone in the Buffyverse stays dead ;)**

**Also, everything Epica plays makes me imagine an epic (no pun intended) battle scene, I feel like it's perfect for anything Buffy related. Once I discovered them, I listened to their albums a lot while writing this story, and I feel like this song in particular really fits with it overall. If you're not afraid of loud music you should give them a listen.  
**

**Until the next chapter!**

**Trick or Treat (I'm asking for reviews instead of candy)!  
**


	11. Chapter 11: Letting Go

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thanks for all the reviews so far!**

* * *

_"Shame, such a shame_  
_ I think I kind of lost myself again_  
_ Day, yesterday_  
_ Really should be leaving but I stay"_  
- "Dissolved Girl" by Massive Attack

~o~

Chapter 11: Letting Go

Giles placed the steaming mug on his kitchen table in front of Buffy. Without even so much as shifting her gaze she wrapped her hands around it and drew it closer to her, but still did not drink.

"Thank you," she murmured.

Lowering himself into the seat opposite her, he took a sip from his own mug of Earl Grey while regarding the silent slayer with concern. Buffy had returned from her battle with Angelus with only a few minor scrapes and bruises, however it seemed that emotionally it had taken more of a toll on her than expected. She'd told him of the fight concisely, and without much detail or ardour, then lapsed immediately into the blank state she was in currently.

"Well," Giles began, cradling his mug of tea in his palm, "I'm proud of you Buffy... what you did wasn't easy." he hoped some encouraging words would snap her out of her daze, her blatant lack of emotion made him uneasy. She'd just returned from killing the one person that even he would admit, was her true love, and instead of acting like she had done such a thing, she was vacant, a fact that had Giles more worried about her than he had been when she'd left.

"Buffy... are you sure you're alright?" he asked.

Buffy finally looked up from the handle of her mug, "I'm fine Giles." she replied, then continued to gaze grimly at the steam rising from her tea, "I guess I was just expecting... I don't know, a white light, or a choir of angels or something." she continued ruefully.

Giles studied her, puzzled, "What are you talking about?"

She sighed, and rested her head in her hand. "I thought... I thought maybe this was why I was back. That maybe I would go - well, wherever it is that I'm supposed to go." she admitted sheepishly.

Giles' brow furrowed in frustration, so much had happened to her in the past few weeks. She'd had to deal with so much loss and so much change... how could he blame her for hoping for some sort of peace?

"We'll find you some answers Buffy, I promise," he reassured her.

Buffy smiled faintly, and pushed herself away from the kitchen table, "I know Giles... thanks." she said as she crossed towards the door and put on her jacket. "It's late, my dad's probably wondering where I am."

Giles rose to follow her to the door, "Yes, of course," he opened the door for her, "try not to dwell on these things too much Buffy, we'll find something soon. We have to."

Buffy stepped out into the cool night air, then turned to face Giles again, "I hope so Giles."

~o~

The walk back to her house felt excruciatingly long. She was getting tired of the facade of being Madeline, she loved the people in her life, she had all of her memories, but it still felt foreign... not quite right. Now that she was back at square one when it came to explanations it just felt exhausting to keep going.

She had given everything she had in her to defeat Angelus with the idea in mind that once it was over she would be at peace. She chuckled softly to herself, embarrassed by her hope and optimism. Perhaps these teenage hormones had messed with the pessimistic and bleak outlook she'd adopted over the years when it came to life. It sounded awful to actually think in such a way, but when one is faced with imminent death on almost a daily basis, what else can they do?

Sauntering quietly into her house, she was happy she'd taken the time to clean up at Giles', as she found her father sitting on her bed, the delicate silver frame holding the picture of twelve-year-old Madeline and her late mother cradled lovingly between his hands. He looked up at her standing in the doorway, and dropped the frame to his lap.

"Oh, hi Maddy... sorry, I just..." he trailed off, gazing down at the photograph again.

Buffy frowned, then moved to sit next to him, "It's alright." she replied.

It suddenly hit her that today was the one year anniversary of her mother's death. Not only did a lump form in her throat, but guilt began to gnaw at the pit of her stomach. She'd spent the whole day at school, then the whole evening at Giles' before heading out to battle. "I'm sorry I wasn't here all day Dad." she whispered.

He smiled sorrowfully, still not taking his eyes off the picture. "Don't apologize, sweetheart. I don't blame you for wanting to distract yourself."

Was that why she'd been so gung-ho about taking down Angelus? Had she been trying to distract herself from the hole in her heart, the one she felt getting bigger and bigger as today approached?

"I miss her, Dad." she sighed finally, and she meant it. She could remember everything about the kindly woman in the photograph. From little things like Sunday morning pancakes, to the times she would bandage her cuts and scrapes as a kid, to the first time she cried about a boy. She suddenly found herself wishing she was there now, so she could talk to her about Angelus, and Angel, and how hollow she felt knowing that he was gone for good this time. Somehow she knew this mother would be compassionate, and understanding.

"I do too kiddo..." her father choked, "You know, some mornings I still wake up, and I forget she's not in bed beside me."

Buffy studied the man sitting beside her, it dawned on her that this must be why he was looking so tired and defeated lately. She was already overwhelmed by the amount of loss she'd just recently experienced. Now topped with the knowledge that she would never see Angel again, and the overpowering sorrow she could both see on her father's face, and relate to, Buffy finally let all of the emotions she'd fought so hard to keep in check the past few weeks just spill out. Tears began to pour down her cheeks, and she covered her face with her hands. She felt an arm encircle her, and she leaned into her father's side.

"I'm sorry Dad, I'm sorry..." she sobbed.

"Shhh, it's okay." he soothed, his voice weak and cracked as though he must have started crying too, "We'll both be okay."

As she continued to let the anguish pour out of her, she silently prayed that he was right.

~o~

Dustin cautiously crept through the hallway towards the warehouse. The amount of ashes he found scattered along the way confirming the story he'd heard nervously spewed from the two lackeys hanging around the side door when he'd returned from his hunt. Stepping into the warehouse he found the scaffolding in a mangled mess, ashes scattered on the floor, and a large bloody beam protruding from the wreckage. Turning in a large circle he noticed the rest of the room was basically untouched, save for what looked like a few broken crossbow bolts discarded on the ground. Continuing further to the back of the building, he slowly pushed open the door to Angelus' private quarters, and found them empty. Knowing that if Angelus had managed to defeat the slayer, not only would the walls be painted in her blood, but he would have waited around for the clan to return so he could brag, assured Dustin that the slayer had gotten the upper hand, and their master was no more.

Walking into the small room, Dustin spotted a large antique tome lying open atop a side table. Approaching the book, he scanned the open page. His eyes grew wide in realization, and a dark smile spread across his face.

"Dustin?" a small voice called from the doorway. He snapped his head around to find the female minion who had met him at the entrance peering around the door frame. "What will we do now?" she asked meekly.

Dustin turned his attention back to the page, "End the World..." he growled, and ran his hand reverently over the words on the page.

~o~

**In hindsight, a lot of these chapters are really damn short! I think I'll be posting two again this weekend.**

**So Dustin is going to be playing a bigger part in the story now, he's actually a combination of two characters I created for an original story that I've been trying to work on for about a year and a half now (of course this fanfic, and all the other ideas that kept popping into my head have been distracting me from being able to finish it), I really wish I hadn't perfected my procrastination skills back in high school *sigh*.**

**Let me know what you thought! ;)  
**


	12. Chapter 12: Somewhere In Time

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you for reviewing!**

* * *

Chapter 12: Somewhere In Time

The week following Buffy's battle with Angelus was almost painfully uneventful. If there were any vampires who were daring enough to wander out into the night after their master had been destroyed, Buffy wouldn't have even known; Lily and Olly had dutifully shown up every evening after dinner with another terrible old B-movie to watch with her. Buffy truly appreciated their attempts to cheer her up and keep her mind off of her mother's death - amongst the other things they were unaware of - however not being able to patrol in the evenings made her antsy and jumpy during the day. Not to mention she had to make sure to stop by to see Giles between classes, because there was no telling Lily and Olly that she didn't have time for another movie night - they weren't taking "no" as an answer.

In fact, Buffy had been so distracted in the week proceeding Angelus' death that she'd even failed to notice one Professor Pratt watching her from the distance again.

Spike acknowledged he'd developed an unhealthy interest in Madeline Cross. If he'd spent as much time on his course material has he had spying on her while she was at school then perhaps his students would stop falling asleep during his lectures. He knew he should stop, that this could obviously be taken the wrong way and have terrible consequences, but he just couldn't shake the feeling that she was hiding something, and Spike was the one who had to figure out what that was. He'd drawn the line however, at attempting to follow her off-campus, or approaching her while any of her friends were around, so interaction with her had been minimal. As luck would have it today though, she was sitting in the building's lounge area, completely alone, engrossed in a book. He walked up to her, trying his best to look confident and professional.

"Good afternoon Madeline." he greeted her.

Buffy slowly raised her eyes to meet none other than Spike. She'd gotten used to his awkward and somewhat prying attempts at conversation every now and again.

"Hello Professor." she replied, looking back down at her book. She'd decided the best way to get him to leave her alone was to attempt to ignore him.

"What are you readin' there?" he asked, clearly not getting the hint.

Buffy closed the book, sighing slightly, "Dante's Inferno."

"Ah," he said, "Good choice."

"It's for my Classic Literature class." she answered flatly.

"I see, well, you seem to enjoy readin' though..."

"When I have time."

"You're quite busy then?" Spike asked, then quickly regretted it realizing how it must sound.

Buffy eyed him suspiciously, she had been curious as to why Spike was taking such an interest in her. Thankfully, Lily came running up behind Spike at exactly that moment, Olly trailing not to far behind.

"Hey Maddy, sorry we're late!" she exclaimed before turning to see who she was talking to. A surprised look swept over her face.

"It's okay guys." she replied.

Spike, now feeling awkward and inappropriate was happy for an out. "I should get goin' then, it was nice talkin' to you Maddy."

"Bye Professor..." Buffy mumbled.

Spike hurried away as Lily threw herself down on the couch next to Buffy, Olly sat down in an armchair in front of her.

"Maddy! Oh my god!" Lily squealed, "Why was he talking to you?"

Buffy studied Lily in confusion, "He always talks to me... I don't really get it."

"You're so lucky!" Lily sighed.

"What?" Buffy exclaimed.

"You can't tell me you don't remember! After your first class with him you said you thought his accent was sexy!" Lily giggled, her face turning a bright shade of crimson. Buffy looked to Olly, her eyes wide.

"I was not around for that conversation... and I'm kinda wishing I wasn't around for this one..." he grumbled sitting back in his chair.

"Gross Lily, he's my professor." Buffy muttered.

"Yeah, but he's so dapper and British." Lily argued, "Your words, not mine." she added after Buffy shot her a look of pure distaste.

Buffy was cringing inwardly. Had her former self actually been attracted to Spike? The absurdity of it astounded her.

"Okay, but that was before... now I just think he tries too hard to get the Billy Idol thing to work for him... and his lectures are boring." Buffy replied. The conversation was interrupted by a snort from Olly.

"Alright, fine. So what time are we on for tonight?" Lily asked.

Buffy sighed. She really needed to stop this before it turned into a ritual. Whether or not she was here to slay, the fact of the matter was that there were vampires in the town, and someone needed to take care of them.

"Actually guys," she began, "I really appreciate what you two are doing, but you don't have to come over every night you know. I mean, we all have exams coming up, papers to write, other more important things we could be focusing on rather than indulging Ed Wood."

Lily look a bit hurt, but Olly nodded understandingly. "But Maddy, are you sure?" Lily said.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"No worries Maddy, we just wanted to make sure you were okay. You've seemed down lately." Olly added.

"I'm okay guys, really. I love you guys, and terrible films, but life needs to go on you know." Buffy replied.

Lily smiled sadly, "Alright Maddy, I free you! But if you want us to come over, you know where to find us."

"Thanks Lily."

They picked up their belongings and began to head down the hallway towards their next classes.

"So, I still have Manos the Hands of Fate at home though... Olly, you busy tonight?" Lily asked as they turned the next corner.

Olly turned to Buffy, and she just stared at him, incredulous.

"I... uh... yeah I'm free." he stuttered.

"Good! See you later then!" she called before waving and turning off into an auditorium.

Buffy chuckled, "You are so dense Oliver."

"Should I thank you for bailing? I - I... wow..." he stammered excitedly.

Buffy smiled and stopped in front of a classroom door, "No need to thank me, just enjoy yourself."

Olly grinned wildly, and continued down the hallway walking backwards so he could still face Buffy, "Have a good class Maddy!"

"You too" she called, then stepped into the classroom.

~o~

As it turned out, a healthy dose of slaying was exactly what Buffy needed to boost her spirits. After taking care of the one lonely vampire she found wandering in the cemetery, she decided to do a quick sweep of the downtown area, knowing that Lily and Olly were safely back in the comfort of Lily's living room, and not in danger of running into her skulking through the night.

It worried her that it had become a habit to beat the ever living crap out of something toothy or scaly when she was feeling down, however she supposed she could have worse habits. Besides, she was a slayer after all. Slipping off the main streets, she began to make her way silently through the smaller side streets and alleys that led towards the industrial part of town, she was certain there weren't many other areas that were deserted enough for the vampire community to hide out in, and that the vampires who had been following Angelus could not have ran far.

A loud cackling laugh snapped Buffy out of her thoughts and she whipped her head around to peer into the alley to her left. Three vampires were zig-zagging their way along the small path, evidently inebriated. Though she had been hoping for a more challenging fight, after a week with no action at all, she wasn't about to pass up an easy opportunity to let off some steam. Leaping into action, she sprinted towards the trio and was directly on top of them before they even knew it. Knocking one of the three to the ground, she had him dusted before the other two had even noticed he was gone.

One of the remaining pair, a tall ruddy vampire suddenly spun around, his eyes lolling in his head,

"Hey... where'd Vince go?" he slurred.

The other vampire, short, with darker features, stopped and stared a little too hard at the other, "Huh?" he asked.

Buffy stood from her crouching position, brushing the ashes from her thighs, the vampires finally noticed they weren't alone in the alley, but made no move to attack, they only stood in place, stunned and confused.

"Where'd you come from?" the ruddy one asked in wonder.

"Vince sent me, he's got a message." she teased.

The vampires still made no move, they seemed to actually believe she has a message from their friend and were waiting patiently for it.

Buffy sighed, "Are all vamps this pathetic these days? You're making things too easy on me." she grumbled in exasperation before pouncing into action again. In their dazed state they proved to be no match for a skilled slayer, and they'd barely thrown more than a few off-balance punches before Buffy had made quick work of them.

Disappointed with the lack of quality opponents, Buffy was about to call it a night, when she heard a faint rustling from between a large dumpster and a pile of old metal garbage cans just a few feet in front of her. Just as she turned towards the noise she saw a dark figure dart out from the shadows and take off down the alley. Her slayer sense was screaming, it was most definitely a vampire.

"Hey!" She shouted, then took off sprinting after the mysterious foe.

She found she was gaining on him quickly, and before he had a chance to exit the alley, she launched herself at him, grabbing him by the shoulders and flinging him to the ground. She landed in a roll, and quickly jumped back to her feet, however her victim was less fortunate, landing splayed out on his back in the middle of the alley. Rushing back towards him as quickly as she could, she slammed her foot down onto his chest and stood over him with her stake poised above her head, ready to strike.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" the vampire cried, his hands raised in the air in a protective and pleading gesture.

Buffy relaxed the pressure of her foot slightly, but didn't lower her stake. She looked down at her opponent, who had conveniently landed in a pool of light. He was a young-looking vampire, most likely in his early twenties when he died. He had a strong build, dark, shaggy, dark hair, and dark, mysterious eyes that sent a shiver down Buffy's spine.

"Hold on," he continued, during Buffy's pause.

"Why should I?" she retorted, and raised her stake a little higher, as if preparing to slam it down.

"Cause I'm not here to hurt you. I swear." he explained rather calmly considering he was potentially staring death in the face.

Buffy chuckled, "Yeah, cause I haven't heard that one before." and begun to swing down her stake.

"I mean it!" he blurted quickly enough to cause Buffy to pause once more, "Please, just give me a moment to explain..."

Against her better judgement, she removed her foot from the vampire's chest and took a step back, keeping her stake raised and ready to strike. She watched him nervously, there was something odd about this vampire, something familiar that made her want to trust him.

"So you're a slayer, right?" he asked, pushing himself up onto his elbows.

"Gee, what gave it away?" she responded sarcastically.

He had no reply, save for a crooked grin as he rose from the ground and brushed off his clothing. He was tall, at least six feet, and wore dark pants, a grey sweater and a black leather bomber-style jacket. Looking her up and down, he finally spoke.

"You probably won't believe me, but hear me out; I want to help you."

An eerie sense of deja-vu swarmed over Buffy, but instead she masked it with a chuckle, and tightened her grip on her stake.

"Help me?"

"I mean it," he assured her, "I..." he paused and looked unsure of how to continue, "This is gonna sound weird to you, but this isn't my body..."

Buffy froze, convinced that she'd misheard him, "Excuse me?"

"This isn't my body. I woke up in it only a few days ago, with no idea how I got here..." he paused, and scoffed, "In fact, I thought I was dead." he continued, more to himself than to Buffy.

"Well, Einstein, you're a vampire, so technically, you are dead." Buffy sighed, "Newbies..." she muttered quietly.

"I'm 259, far from being a 'newbie'" he retorted, folding his arms across his chest, clearly stating he no longer saw Buffy as a threat.

Buffy finally lowered her stake, and rested her hands on her hips in a defiant gesture, "Alright then Father Time... then explain to me what you mean by this not being your body."

"I mean, this isn't the body I was born in... the one I was turned in, the one that my soul has been living in for the last 150 years." he continued.

Buffy suddenly felt like ice was running through her veins, "Soul?" she whispered.

His face grew more serious, the playful defiance that was there just moments ago had completely melted away.

"Yes. I'm a vampire cursed with a soul. And until a few days ago, I thought I had died."

Buffy's breath caught in her throat, she felt herself begin to tremble, that familiar tingling she'd felt when she'd spotted him, the one she'd mistaken as identifying a vampire, a feeling she hadn't felt in years...

"My name is Angel."

_"Somewhere in time  
I will find you and haunt you again  
Like the wind sweeps the earth  
Somewhere in time  
When no virtues are left to defend"_  
- "The Haunting" by Kamelot

~o~

**He's ba-ack! Now what will Buffy do? I guess you'll just have to wait until next week to find out.  
**

**Also, the movie I mentioned earlier in the chapter, "Manos the Hands of Fate" is an actual movie, I don't remember who made, but obviously I don't want it to seem like I made up the title or anything... Anyway, if anyone here is into watching absolutely dreadful movies for a laugh, I'd recommend trying to track this one down, I can't even begin to describe how terrible it is! There's honestly a scene where the boom operator is blatantly standing in the middle of the shot and no one seemed to notice. Definitely entertaining for all the wrong reasons.**

**Until next week, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.  
**


	13. Chapter 13: Things That Go Bump

**Sorry I didn't get this out earlier in the day, I got distracted and spent the afternoon entertaining my inner-child when I discovered they have episodes of _Jem and the Holograms_ on youtube... if you don't know who Jem and the Holograms are... well, then you're making me feel old!**

**But I digress, here we go!  
**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you all for the reviews!**

* * *

_"You get mistaken for strangers by your own friends  
When you pass them at night under the silvery, silvery citibank lights  
Arm in arm in arm and eyes and eyes glazing under  
Oh you wouldn't want an angel watching over  
Surprise, surprise they wouldn't wannna watch  
Another uninnocent, elegant fall into the unmagnificent lives of adults"_  
- "Mistaken for Strangers" by The National

Chapter 13: Things That Go Bump in the Night

"Could you repeat yourself again, because I don't bloody believe you." Spike drawled as he swung his feet up on Giles' coffee table and leaned back in his weathered loveseat. Willow sat next to him, in a considerably more respectful manner, puzzlement clear on her face. Giles paced behind his corduroy armchair, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He wasn't quite sure how to explain Angelus' sudden disappearance to the pair without revealing Buffy, but he knew it would be best for the both of them if they were able to quit worrying that they're being targeted by one of the most ruthless vampires in history. He sighed.

"Angelus is dead." he repeated. Staring quite pointedly at Spike.

"But... how?" Willow wondered out loud. The memory of opening her front door and nearly inviting the monster into her home upon momentarily mistaking him for Angel was still fresh in her mind, and she cringed thinking of what lengths Giles must have had to go to in order to beat him.

"I, uh... I contacted the council and asked them to send a slayer here." Giles lied hurriedly. It was the most logical explanation, no? And he supposed if they did ever see him talking with "Madeline" it would explain that as well.

Spike chuckled, "You expect me to believe that some rookie slayer took down The Scourge of Europe? Not very likely..." he scoffed.

"Well, she did, that's all you need to know. Now you can wander around at night without a worry, are you going to thank me or not?" Giles grumbled.

"I'm just sayin' I don't believe it is all! Hell, Buffy herself couldn't even dust the ol' Poof..." the sentence slipped out of Spike's mouth before it registered what he'd said. Willow's eyes dropped down to her lap, and she began to bite down on the inside of her cheek to keep from crying.

Spike's mouth tightened into a thin line, and Giles regarded his last two ties to Buffy sadly, wishing he could ease their pain.

"Buffy... Buffy was too emotionally involved." Giles replied softly, "I was sure to bring in someone far removed from the situation. This was just another vampire to her."

Willow looked up from her lap finally, her eyes looked glassy. "But he wasn't just another vampire," she murmured, "It was Angel... and now he's gone."

Giles regarded the witch woefully, he should have realized that losing another friend, even if he had turned on them, would be hard on her.

"He wasn't Angel anymore Willow." he comforted her.

"Had you exhausted your options? Was it really the only choice you had?" she demanded, her voice still wavering.

"Of course it was..."

"Because for some reason I feel that if Buffy were still alive it wouldn't have come to this so quickly!"

"If Buffy were still alive we wouldn't've had Angelus breathin' down our necks in the first place." Spike finally interjected.

Willow grew quiet again, and took a deep breath to compose herself, "Right..." she paused, "Well, I guess we should thank you Giles."

"Yes... well..." Giles stuttered.

Suddenly a quiet knock on the door broke the tension in the room. Giles strode to the door and pulled it open, to find Buffy standing there, white as a sheet, shock painted clearly on her face.

"Bu-er- Madeline... what are you doing here?" He asked quietly, opening the door fully so she could see past him into the small living room where Willow and Spike sat.

Upon hearing Madeline's name, Spike perked up, and turned to the door, wondering why his student would be visiting Giles so late at night.

Without a word Buffy slid past Giles into his apartment. She didn't care that Willow and Spike were sitting there, she didn't care about anything anymore, her head was spinning.

"Madeline? You're in my Mythology 112 class, right?" Willow asked quietly trying to wipe the tears from her eyes, and conceal her emotions in front of her student. Buffy merely nodded her head. "How do you know Giles?" she continued.

"I - er... I was looking for a book for one of Madeline's papers, that's why you're here isn't it Madeline?" Giles replied hurriedly.

"It's alright Giles, I'm tired of lying." Buffy finally said.

Willow, and especially Spike, eyed her suspiciously. Buffy gazed at her old friends, the earlier overwhelming events of the evening still playing in her head, and had her longing for Willow's support.

The expression on Willow's face was gradually beginning to change to one of wonder, Buffy was sure she was picking up some sort of energy, or aura or something from her that she felt was familiar, Buffy didn't know the details of Willow's always growing powers, but she guessed she was onto something, and Buffy may as well confirm her suspicions.

"It's me guys... it's Buffy." she stated, trying her best to not let her emotions overwhelm her.

Willow's hand flew to her mouth, and the tears she'd tried so hard to wipe away sprang to her eyes once more. She rose from the couch slowly and approached Buffy. Standing in front of her, Willow searched her eyes, and after admitting a tiny gasp, enveloped Buffy in a tight hug.

"It's really you... It's really you, I don't believe it..." she cried.

Spike remained seated on the couch, shell shocked, with his mouth agape he watched the two girls in their teary embrace before snapping back to reality and jumping to his feet.

"I knew it! I knew I felt somethin' odd about you! I could sense it! I thought you were just a new slayer or somethin'... but I knew!" He exclaimed triumphantly.

Willow and Buffy's hug finally breaking off Buffy turned to Spike, "Can it Spike, you were just looking to get a student in the sack." she scoffed.

Spike looked offended, and pouted slightly, "Was not." he mumbled.

Buffy smiled reluctantly at him, "It's good to see you again Spike," she said.

"You too, Buffy." he replied.

Willow grabbed her by the shoulders again, spinning Buffy to face her, "But how? I don't understand this!" she exclaimed.

"It's a long story, I'll tell you later." she promised her friend, before turning back to the kitchen to face Giles, "I have something more important I need to talk about..."

Giles had been watching the reunion with both happiness and uncertainty, but was now thrown off by Buffy's announcement.

"What is it Buffy?" he asked.

"Wait, you knew about this? How long have you known about this!" Spike exclaimed, however was ignored by both Buffy and Giles.

"I met a vampire tonight... he claims to be Angel." she revealed shakily.

The room grew silent.

It dawned on Giles what Buffy must be thinking, and it sent him reeling, "Do you think his soul has been transported into another body? Like yours?" he asked.

"I don't really know what to think... but maybe, yes."

"What in Bloody Hell are you talking about?" Spike grumbled. After just being told that Angelus had been taken care of, both he and Willow were confused and intrigued by what Buffy was saying.

"What exactly happened?" Giles questioned.

Buffy thought back to the conversation in the alley she'd had just minutes earlier:

~o~

She regarded him silently, afraid to speak, unsure of what to say.

"You don't believe me?" he asked her, on his face was a mix of exasperation, and that tortured, sad-puppy look she'd seen on Angel's face thousands of times before.

"N-no, I don't." she replied shakily, even though every fiber of her being was screaming that she did.

"Alright. Well, I was just trying to put it out there from the get go... I mean, the last slayer I tried to help out nearly killed me once she found out what I was..."

"It is our sacred duty, and all that garbage." Buffy quipped.

He smirked again. The lop-sided grin was so familiar to Buffy she shivered again, but she still refused to believe that Angel was alive, and standing in front of her, it just couldn't be.

"I know who you're claiming to be, and there's no way that it's actually who you are." she replied confidently, she had to throw him off, she had to get away from him.

"Why is that?" he asked, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets, and staring her down.

"Because Angelus is dead. I killed him a week ago." she growled.

Surprise washed over his face, "Angelus is dead? As in dusted?" he questioned.

Buffy threw her shoulders back further in triumph. "That's right."

He was silent for a moment, the gears in his head clearly turning a mile-a-minute, "That might explain a lot..." he muttered, more to himself than to Buffy. Finally, he looked back up at her, confusion clear on his features, "How did you know that we're the same person?" he asked.

"Maybe I'm just a lot smarter than this slayer you used to help." she teased.

His eyes flashed yellow, and a dark expression washed over his features, "You wouldn't be here having this conversation right now if it wasn't for that slayer." he growled.

Buffy was slightly taken aback by his defense of her former self, however it also just continued to confirm in her mind that he was telling the truth.

"Well... you can't honestly think that the only vampire with a soul could go postal and no one in the slaying community would hear about it..." she replied, a little more sympathetically.

He remained silent, clearly mentioning the "former slayer" had been a bad move. The emotional turmoil he felt over her death was written plainly all over his face.

"If you are... who you say you are," she began, "how did you end up in this body?"

He looked back up at her, then shook his head slowly while rubbing the back of his neck.

"I just... woke up, as if I'd been taking a nap. I opened my eyes and I was in this body, in this town... The last thing I remember was being on the phone, in Los Angeles, hearing about..." he trailed off, unable to speak her name. "Then all of a sudden I'm waking up in some apartment, here in Braebrook."

An eerie shiver crept up Buffy's spine, it sounded so similar to what had happened to her.

"Look, I don't know why I'm here, but until I find out, I want to help you fight whatever evil is out there... it's the only thing I'm good at."

'Aside from brooding' Buffy felt like adding, but wasn't ready to give herself up just yet. In fact, she was more convinced that she should get as far away from Angel as humanly possible. If there was anything she'd learned in her lifetime, it's that being with Angel only caused her pain in the long run, pain that she wanted to avoid at all costs this time around.

"Look, Angel, or whoever you are... I work alone." she finally answered, rather harshly.

"You can't defeat the forces of evil by yourself, you need someone to fight beside you." he argued.

They both stopped and stared at each other, something familiar rang in those words. But Buffy had ignored them then, and she would ignore them now.

"No I don't. Thanks for the offer, but you're just going to have to fight on your own time." she replied quickly, before spinning on her heel and taking off full speed out of the alley.

~o~

Buffy looked to her three companions, all spellbound by her story. Spike looked both disgusted and shocked at the revelation that some part of his grand-sire was running around Braebrook somewhere, Willow was absolutely mystified, and Giles had his normal expression of puzzlement and intrigue written all over his face.

"It definitely sounds like Angel..." Willow muttered.

"It does, but how do we know it's not just a ruse? Some other ponce of a vampire out there - "

"His description of how he awoke is rather similar to Buffy's... I'd say there is a high chance that this is actually Angel... but what could it be then that is causing these souls to transport themselves?" Giles interrupted Spike.

The four of them grew silent again, each of them, having dealt with a shock that evening, were at a loss for words. Finally Willow spoke.

"Maybe... maybe you should bring him to see us Buffy. I mean if he remembers us, then he's definitely Angel! And then we could find out why the both of you are here..."

"No." Buffy replied quickly. The trio studied her in confusion, "I'm done with that part of my life. Having other people involved in Slaying only ever caused more pain and more loss than was necessary. You guys can stick around because you already know what's out there going bump in the night... but no one else is to get involved. No matter who they claim they are. I'm doing this the old fashioned way now; I'm fighting alone."

"But Buffy, -" Willow began softly.

"If I hadn't dragged you into this, Xander would still be here right now." Buffy whispered.

The silence in the room was palpable, everyone wanted to argue with Buffy, to prove her wrong, but no one could find the words. Finally, Giles broke the silence with a sigh, "If that's how you want it Buffy. I'll keep researching your return."

"I'll help too," Willow added, "I'll see what I can find in the magic community, maybe someone will have heard of something,"

"Right then, and I'll just sit here like a useless git... bloody humanity..." Spike grumbled.

"Just stay out of trouble Spike..." Buffy sighed as she rose from her seat.

He grumbled something unintelligible, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It was good seeing you all again, really." Buffy said warmly, then crossed to Giles' door and exited out into the night.

Willow watched her leave with a somber expression on her face, "Something's coming Giles... I can feel it."

~o~

**Yay! Willow and Spike finally know!  
It was seriously killing me to drag out the reunion of the Scooby Gang (or what's left of it at least), but timing is everything in my opinion... which is why I wasn't about to have Buffy reveal herself to Angel just yet! You guys are going to have to wait awhile for that moment to come, but I promise it'll be a good one!**

**I'm also happy I won't have to write anymore awkward Maddy/Spike encounters, those were painful, yikes. Anyway, you may have noticed Buffy teasing Spike, and I hope you won't take it as Spike-bashing, because I do enjoy Spike quite a bit when he's not mooning over Buffy. I personally think they work way better as friends, and like it way more when they get into the witty banter with each other. I'm not about to pretend that they never had a relationship, but I think 13 years after the fact, they've both gotten over it, and can just enjoy each others company... at least that's the way it's going to be in my little universe right here. **

**Until next week!**

**Reviews make me happy... like puppies, or baby tigers.  
**


	14. Chapter 14: Alone

**Another week, another chapter! I'm updating a day early this week cause I've got a busy day tomorrow and I don't want to forget, or end up updating really late at night.**

**Thanks to all who've reviewed so far, and to ashes at midnight: I still picture Buffy as Buffy and I wrote the damn story, so it's okay! ;)**

**Actually, I refrained from really describing Buffy's new appearance in detail for that reason, I knew changing Buffy would probably irk a lot of readers, so I figured if I kept her physical description to a minimum, it might make it easier for people to accept. So my dear readers, feel free to picture Buffy any which way your little hearts desire. It's fanfic after all, anything goes!**

**And now, on with the show:**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

* * *

_"Alone is all we are, even when we we feel this close,  
It's just a lie we believe...  
These are the words that escape from our lungs,  
Rupture the wall I've built around my heart.  
I've been shaking,  
You can't save me, I'm turning off."_  
- "Between Rupture and Rapture" by Thursday

Chapter 14: Alone

Buffy pulled her jacket around her frame tighter. The autumn wind seemed to have grown colder since she left Giles' place, but she didn't have the energy to quicken her pace. Dragging her feet, she continued to trudge down the sidewalk towards her home.

She wondered if she had handled the situation with Angel in the right way... she thought back to their first meeting, she knew he would find her again, he was somehow able to always find her when he wanted to; and she knew he would continue to try to help her fight regardless of whether she wanted him to or not. It was just his nature.

_"You can't defeat the forces of evil by yourself, you need someone to fight beside you..."_

She shivered as his words echoed through her mind, it wasn't the first time he'd said them to her, and she knew they were probably words that pained him to repeat...

_Buffy angrily stuffed another t-shirt into her backpack before yanking the zipper shut and hoisting it over her shoulder. Bending down to retrieve the duffel bag at her feet, she threw it open onto the bed, and began unceremoniously filling it with whatever weapons were lying around the tiny hut; a battle axe, a sword, a crossbow, even the rifle she'd scolded Xander for bringing along. The shrill ring of her cellphone cut suddenly through the silence of the room, causing Buffy to shoot it an icy glare._

_ "Go away..." she muttered under her breath, and continued to throw open the dresser drawers, checking for any items that she may not have accounted for. Finally the ringing stopped. With a sigh, Buffy zipped shut the duffel bag, and sat herself next to it on the bed as she pulled on her combat boots. No sooner had she finished lacing them, then the phone began to ring again. With a grunt of irritation, she rose to her feet, grabbing her bag in one hand, and the phone in the other. Pressing the 'answer' button, she lifted the phone to her ear, and headed towards the front door._

_ "What?" she barked, as she made her way down the short flight of stairs to the dirt road below, where a tour guide waited beside an idling jeep to bring her to a neighbouring town. Some villagers watched her as they walked past, or spied on her from the doorways of their small huts, they knew that if she was leaving, it meant their lives were safe once again._

_ "Buffy..." a deep compassionate voice murmured from the earpiece._

_ Buffy's heart leaped into her throat, as it always had whenever she heard his voice. She inwardly scolded herself for still being affected by him in such a way, even after all these years. Especially given the circumstances._

_ She took a deep breath, and climbed into the passenger seat of the jeep, "What is it Angel?" she asked, she tried to make her voice sound more pleasant, more feeling, like his was, but she knew her tone was still blunt and aggressive._

_ He was silent for a minute, as if he was taken aback by her attitude, "I just got off the phone with Willow," he began softly._

_ "Oh?" Buffy urged him on, as the jeep pulled away from the side of the road, and began to accelerate._

_ "She was in a panic Buffy, she's worried about you."_

_ "I'm fine... tell her I'm fine." she muttered. She should have known Willow would have tried to stop her, she figured being thousands of miles away from the rest of the gang would keep them from getting involved with this, but she should have known better. Willow was too caring, she would want to help, get involved... but she couldn't this time._

_ "You're not seriously doing this, are you?" he asked, a hint of panic was beginning to show in his voice._

_ "Actually, I am. In fact, I'm heading after it as we speak." she stated as she looked out the window and watched the tropical vegetation whizz by._

_ "Buffy, you're being rash, you can't do this. Just come home, or wait until someone can come help you." he pleaded._

_ "No. No one is dealing with this but me this time. It's not safe." she argued._

_ "This isn't like you, please, just take a moment to stop and think, you know this is a bad idea." his voice rose from its gentle tone, he was sensing how unwilling she was to cooperate._

_ "You want to hear a bad idea? Bringing Xander along was a bad idea. Taking this out by myself, that's the first good idea I've had in awhile. No one is to come help me, and I'm not coming 'home' until it's dead." she replied._

_ "Buffy, please... you've always known you can't fight the forces of evil by yourself... you need someone to fight beside you." his tone was strangled, desperate, Buffy knew he felt he was losing the battle. But there was something else in his voice as well, something Buffy hadn't heard in awhile; it sounded like despair, or longing. She could feel her face growing warm, and not from the tropical heat, she blinked back her tears a few times, and mentally slapped herself for being so weak._

_ "Let me fight beside you." he added quietly._

_ A sorrowful smile played across Buffy's lips, she though of how long she'd wanted to hear him say those words to her, but now it seemed too late. She'd let everyone get too involved, instead of fighting from the sidelines, they'd made their way to the front-lines of the battle, a place they had no business being. And although Angel was much stronger than the rest, she knew she wouldn't be able to survive something happening to him of all people. Her only option was to push him away, something she'd become an expert at over the years._

_ "No." she replied bluntly._

_ "Buffy -"_

_ "I said no." she repeated. She raked a trembling hand through her hair in exasperation, "No more Scooby Gang, no more Watcher's Council, or Potentials, or en-souled vampires, and especially no more you... I'm on my own from now on." _

_ She couldn't breathe, she couldn't ever remember being so harsh with Angel, but she felt like she had no choice. Her rant was met with nothing but silence from the other end of the receiver, she wondered if perhaps he had hung up, but finally he spoke;_

_ "Are you sure that's what you want?" he asked, his voice no more than a whisper._

_ "Yes," Buffy replied, her voice cracking and giving away her facade of resolve._

_ "Don't do this, please. Just stop and think for a moment -"_

_ "Goodbye Angel." she whispered, and ended the call._

_ Roughly wiping away the single tear that managed to escape down her cheek, she leaned her head back onto the headrest and closed her eyes, opening them again, she looked down at the phone still clutched in her hand, and switched the power off. From here on out she was alone._

_ The guide peered at her from the driver's seat of the jeep as the bounced down the unpaved roads, "Are you alright, Miss?" he asked in a pleasant British accent._

_ Buffy turned to glance briefly at the middle aged man bringing her to her next destination, "Yes, I'm fine." she replied quietly, then turned her attention back to the landscape passing by her window._

That conversation had been haunting her for months, especially since she'd awoke as Madeline and believed it was the last one they would ever have. Seeing him again had shaken her, but she hadn't changed her mind. She wasn't involving anyone unnecessarily in her life this time around. It pained her to think it, but Angel would just have to find another way to atone for his sins.

She was fighting alone from now on.

~o~

Dustin sneered as he lifted the rather sizable rat from where it sat sniffing his bedspread. It squeaked and flailed as he held it by it's tail, dangling in front of his face, before he flung it across the room. Moving what remained of the clan into the sewers was not ideal in his mind, however he didn't want to risk the slayer returning to the warehouse and taking the rest of them out. He would need all the man-power he could find if he was going carry out the plan Angelus had set into motion.

Pacing the tiny alcove he'd claimed as his room he growled in frustration. He'd ordered the minions to begin searching the crypts, but they'd yet to uncover whatever it is that is hidden in the graveyard. The cryptic fashion in which prophecies were written infuriated him, and he wasn't nearly old enough to grasp the ancient expressions and metaphors that were used. He found himself suddenly wishing that their infuriating master was still alive.

Dustin had never been a huge fan of Angelus'. He resented him for seemingly appearing out of nowhere and turning their small clan on their heads, however he did respect that he had other ambitions than simply finding the perfect midnight snack, and he had managed to do the one thing Dustin had hoped for; he united the clan towards a single goal. They no longer simply wanted to terrorize the locals, brag about who had added the most tombstones to the vast graveyard... they saw the potential chaos that could be brought about, and were now salivating at the thought of a Hell on Earth... well, most of them were. There will always be those that don't quite _get_ it.

Dustin's thoughts were interrupted by the echo of footsteps drawing nearer. They were accompanied by the sound of something being dragged along the cement. Finally, a slim redhead vampire appeared before him and threw a small mousy brunette girl down at his feet. Her hands were bound together, and she held them up in front of her face, as if in defense.

"There aren't many in this town Dustin, this was the best I could do." the vampire sighed, crossing her arms across her chest.

"That's alright. Nicely done Chantal." he replied as he crouched next to the girl.

She lowered her hands slowly, and meekly met Dustin's eyes. Her face was streaked with tears, and she cowered away from him.

"You are a witch, correct?" he asked.

She swallowed hard, and cast her eyes to the ground before nodding almost imperceptibly.

"Good." Dustin said, before he rose to stand again, "You're going to cast a little spell for me... if it works, I'll let you live."

~o~

**Flashback chapter!  
I hope I've begun to shed a little light on why Angel lost his mind when Buffy died, as well as why Buffy's being so overly protective of those around her. I'm not going to explain any more just yet, I'm hoping future chapters will speak for themselves.**

**Dustin finally reappeared, because I did try to create a plot that was a little more like the tv show... I figured it might be a bit boring if all Buffy was doing was trying to figure out what happened to her and Angel!**

**This chapter is actually kinda short... I don't know why that bothers me so much, I remember a time when having to write something that was even just 1,000 words seemed like a chore, but I think I'll post another one today!  
**


	15. Chapter 15: Robin Was Overrated Anyway

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

* * *

Chapter 15: Robin Was Overrated Anyway

Buffy sat perched atop a large tombstone, her head propped up by her palm. It had been a slow night, and though normally she would welcome a break, tonight the lack of action was only putting her to sleep. The past week had been an exhausting one, her days had been filled with classes, and non-stop studying for finals with Lily and Olly, and her nights had been filled with slaying and meeting with Giles, Willow and Spike to research her and Angel's predicaments. Her brain was so overstuffed with information she felt she would short-circuit. Feeling that she absolutely needed to do something other than sit with her nose stuffed in a book, she refused to call it a night until she'd had at least one good fight; although she was hoping she wouldn't end up sitting there until sunrise. She found the lack of demon activity slightly alarming, and she knew she should probably bring it up to Giles, however she'd begun feeling a little guilty that she was making him and the whole Watcher's Council back in England work so hard to try and figure out what had happened to her - and now potentially Angel. Researching another potential apocalypse was not something Giles needed to be doing at the moment, so Buffy had decided she'd try her best to find out what she could while hitting the pavement during her nightly patrols.

She was just about to reconsider her decision to sit out in the cold all night when suddenly her slayer senses kicked in. Someone - or something - was lurking behind her in the shadows. She smirked, but didn't move from her position atop the tomb, continuing to let her stalker feel that she was unaware of its presence. Slowly, she stretched, then slid languidly off of her perch. Her new friend in the shadows made no move, however the longer it lingered, the more familiar its presence began to feel to her. She froze in her place and began to listen to her heart pounding against her ribs. Bewildered, she clenched her fists, it had been a week since her encounter with Angel, and she'd hoped he'd taken a hint this time around and gone on his merry way... Instead, here he was, skulking in the darkness and spying on her. A small, nostalgic part of her felt a little thrilled, however she suppressed it. She was trying to live a new life now, Angel couldn't be a part of it.

"Alright," she called finally, pulling out a stake and rounding the side of the tombstone to face the brush where Angel was hiding, "How about you just show yourself so we can get this over with."

She didn't want to reveal that she knew who he was, and was hoping if she looked aggressive enough this time around maybe he would get the picture. Instead, he came sauntering out of the darkness, an amused smirk on his face, and his hands raised in the air as if mocking her.

"Just me again." he said.

She tucked the stake back up her jacket sleeve and exhaled heavily.

"You probably just ruined my cover you know," she huffed.

"You didn't look like you were being very covert..." he replied dryly.

Buffy narrowed her eyes at him, though she'd been proud of him for lightening up a bit over the years, being on the butt-end of Angel's ribbing didn't amuse her very much. She crossed her arms over her chest, and leaned back against the tombstone. "I've had a long week." she grumbled.

"All the more reason why you should be thankful I was watching your back." he replied.

"I can take care of myself." she retorted.

"I never said you couldn't... but even the most experienced of us slip up now and again."

Buffy continued to glare at him, wondering if he was referencing her rash and spontaneous decision to chase after the demon that had killed Xander all by herself. The rash and spontaneous decision that had led to her death and 'reincarnation'.

"Well, if I slip up, there are plenty of other Slayers out there to clean up my mess, why don't you go bother one of them?" she asked harshly.

"Because I woke up here... and you're here. Some might see that as some sort of Divine intervention." he explained.

"Or maybe the Powers that Be are just trying to drive me crazy..." she mumbled under her breath.

Angel cocked his head at her, "You call them 'The Powers that Be' too?" he asked.

Buffy swallowed hard, this was another reason she didn't want Angel hanging around. She knew it would only be a matter of time until he started noticing just a few too many similarities between what he perceived as a new slayer, and herself, and she was tired of the long and excruciating saga that was their relationship.

"A lot of people do, don't they?" she sighed then turned and began walking away from him.

"Where are you going?" he asked, then began to follow her out of the graveyard.

"You're annoying me, so I'm calling it a night. If you want to help me, be my guest and stay behind to battle the lack of vampires, but I have a big final exam in two days so I figure I could use some sleep." she called behind her without stopping.

She heard Angel chuckle behind her, "I annoy you?"

She span to face him again, "Yes! You do!" she exclaimed.

"Why?" he questioned calmly.

"Because! You follow me around, you spy on me, you ask to help me, and even when I tell you no, and to leave me alone, you do it anyway!"

The smirk disappeared from Angel's face, he regarded her sombrely, and opened his mouth to speak, however he never even got a chance to begin his sentence. A growl cut through the silence of the graveyard and Buffy turned just in time to see a vampire with full game-face on lunging right towards her. She sidestepped him, and he landed right at Angel's feet. He kicked him in the head, before pulling out a stake and making quick work of their attacker. Buffy watched the ashes flutter to the ground with a sense of resentment.

"Great, now you've ruined my one chance for a fight tonight." she muttered.

"He was right at my feet, what did you want me to do?" Angel asked, incredulous.

"Let me Slay! I'm the Slayer here!" she cried. She was realizing the longer this argument went on, the more and more she was sounding like a hormonal teenager... perhaps it would be easier than she thought it would to throw Angel off her trail. "Anyway, you're a vampire! What could you possibly want to kill your own kind for!" She exclaimed before turning and continuing to walk towards the gates.

"I told you, I'm not like them!" he argued as he dashed around to stand in front of her again, "Which is something they don't know yet. I can get you information from the demon community you wouldn't have access to otherwise... " he rebutted.

She studied him sullenly. Though he didn't look like the Angel she remembered he still had the exact same dark, soulful eyes, eyes that were currently pleading with her to give into his request. Part of her was pained at the thought of turning him away, she knew first hand he was excellent to have by your side in a fight, but she couldn't do it again, not this time.

"I can get information in my own way..." she whispered as she skirted around him.

"I bet you my way will be a lot faster." he replied.

She didn't answer him, just continued to walk away. He finally turned and began to follow her again.

"Everyone needs an ally, you must not find it easy to carry this burden on your own."

She could tell he had her in mind as he struggled to find a way to break through to this stubborn teenager in front of him.

"I'm not a superhero, I don't need a sidekick. This is the way it's always been done." she lied.

"No, it hasn't. Do you really have a death wish?" he asked.

She spun around to face him again, "Excuse me?"

"Because if you keep insisting on doing this on your own, you're going to get yourself killed." he said quietly.

Buffy could clearly read the sorrow on his face. Was he trying to make up for her death by saving Madeline? She decided maybe it was time to change tactics.

"Look, Angel... I really appreciate you wanting to help me... but I just don't want to get others involved, I don't want this to get more complicated than fight demon, kill demon, then go home and fake a normal life..."

"Having help doesn't need to be complicated." he replied.

"I know. But for some reason I feel like it will be. Now please, just... stop following me." she sighed, and turned to walk away once more. Finally there was nothing but the sound of her footsteps on the dried fallen leaves, and once she reached the entrance gates of the cemetery and turned around, Angel was nowhere to be seen.

~o~

Katarina sat crouched on the cold damp cement ground of the sewers, her captor watching her intently as she waved her hand over the ingredients piled in the middle of the symbol she'd chalked onto the floor. They began to smoke slightly as she murmured the incantation under her breath. It had been three days since she'd been dragged down here, she didn't know what the strange man with the dreadlocks wanted from her, but she was down to the last location spell she knew, and was beginning to worry that if it didn't work, it would be the end of her. She took a deep, shaky breath before continuing, she knew if she got worked up emotionally it would affect the outcome of the spell, and she was currently at the end of her rope.

"This is useless, Dustin, we're just wasting more time" she heard the redheaded woman mutter.

"Patience, Chantal. We have all the time in the world, remember?" Dustin replied quietly.

Chantal sighed, "I'm getting bored though... and hungry."

Katarina could have sworn she heard a low growl emit from Chantal's throat as she finished her sentence, but she ignored it, and hoped it was her imagination running away with her.

"You can go out and hunt once she's finished," Dustin groaned. "By the look of things you may have to find me a new witch anyway." he hissed.

Katarina could feel his eyes bearing holes into her, she squeezed her eyes shut and continued to chant, inwardly praying to the Gods that this time it would work. The first few spells she'd tried had been fakes, she had no desire to help these strange people - if they were people at all - however it didn't take her much time to realize that Dustin was indeed serious about killing her if she didn't succeed. Reluctantly, she began searching the recesses of her brain for every spell she knew that could locate a hidden object. If she got out of here, she knew there were people she could go to who could stop whatever it was he was planning, as long as she lived it wouldn't matter if she assisted him in some dark plan, he could be stopped... If she died however, no one would ever discover what he was planning, at least not until it was too late.

Dustin sighed in annoyance, the thin ribbon of smoke dancing from the ingredients was rather unimpressive, he was mere seconds away from snapping the pathetic wiccan's neck, when suddenly the smoke grew, and began swirling faster, and faster. A soft blue glow began to emit from the flames, and Katarina's eyes flew open in shock. She had never tried a spell of this magnitude on her own before, if it hadn't been for such black intentions, she would have been proud of herself for executing it.

The smoke continued to swirl, now morphing into a form. Dustin drew closer to her, studying the misty form intently. Finally, the smoke stabilized, and in the midst of an ethereal glow stood a pale angel, her wings outstretched, draped in elegant robes, and a sorrowful look on her face.

Katarina turned to Dustin, her eyes wide. She hadn't the faintest clue what this meant, however was hoping it was good enough to save her life. Dustin, on the other hand, seemed to have forgotten Katarina and Chantal were even in the room, he was captivated by the tiny angel, he barely blinked as he took in its form.

Finally, he drew back slightly, and a large grin spread across his face. A low dark chuckle escaped from his chest, and he rose to his feet, Katarina followed his every move, unsure of what was coming.

"I'll be damned..." he whispered. Without a second look at Katarina, still cowering on the floor, he strode out of the room.

"We have what we need Chantal!" He called behind him, "Take care of the little witch."

Katarina exhaled in relief, until she turned towards Chantal, who was still leaning against the wall. As soon as she lay eyes on her, Katarina let out a piercing scream; Chantal glared at her with yellow eyes, her forehead had deformed, and sharp fangs protruded from her lips.

"Don't worry," she sung, "I'll make it quick."

She snatched Katarina up from the floor, scattering the ingredients and smudging the chalk symbol. She knew now what a mistake she'd made, something horrible was about to happen, and no one would find out until it was too late.

The last thing Katarina ever saw, was the tiny sympathetic angel dissolving into mist.

_"Oh Lord Lord Lord, I'm too young to die  
And if I'd known these days were numbered  
Then I might not have tried  
No I've never done wrong by you  
And I've never told no lies  
Still when I see them running scared I think I might"_  
- "Angels" by The Wooden Sky

~o~

**So now we have a dead body and an apparition... the plot thickens!**

**And I know... Buffy's being mean to Angel, and I'm just as evil as Joss... but I don't feel like it would be BtVS without our favourite soulmates keeping each other at arms length for at least a little while!**

**Until next week, have a lovely weekend!**

**Reviews are like candy made out of words. ;)  
**


	16. Chapter 16: Dancing in the Dark

**ATTENTION READERS: There is a scene at the very beginning of this chapter that is a bit more violent than previous chapters. Though I don't consider myself to be that descriptive of a writer, I just wanted to give everyone a heads-up. I figure most people who are reading BtVS fanfic can stomach a bit of blood, but on the off chance there are some more sensitive readers, I figured I should give fair warning. Besides, people's opinions of what is "gory" may differ from my own.**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Author's Note: So, I'm sure the vast majority of you have heard of Warner Brother's absolutely horrendous idea to give the go-ahead for a _Buffy_ movie without Joss Whedon... I must say that I've personally lost all hope in humanity, the only way they can remedy this is if they cast me as Buffy... totally kidding, though I would like to go all slayer on someone's ass over this! **

**I am really worried about what the end result of this will be though... remakes are rarely a good thing, and if Hollywood is so desperate for ideas that they're turning to things that haven't even been off the air for ten years yet, well, I can't see this fairing well.**

**However! My complete and utter revulsion works to your advantage because I've decided to post two chapters again this week to cheer myself up! Yay!**

* * *

_"Splintered piece of glass falls in the seat, gets caught  
Broken windows, open locks, reminders of the youth we lost  
In trying so hard to look away from you  
We followed white lines to the sunset  
Crash my car everyday the same way "_  
- "Understanding In A Car Crash" by Thursday

Chapter 16: Dancing in the Dark

_Buffy pushed aside yet another unrecognizable tropical plant, and stepped carefully over a large root protruding from the dirt. As soon as she'd taken another step, she heard a scuffling noise from behind her, and a hand suddenly gripped around her upper arm. Turning to look behind her, she saw Xander grinning at her apologetically as he regained his footing._

_ "Sorry..." he mumbled. "Lack of depth perception is no help in the jungle."_

_ "Just be careful and keep your eyes on me." Buffy replied then turned to continue on their trail._

_ "You mean eye, Buff." Xander chuckled, readjusting his eye patch. Buffy simply rolled her eyes and kept walking._

_ They'd only been in South America for a few days, reports of gruesome deaths occurring in a small town at been brought to the attention of the new Watcher's Council, and Buffy had volunteered her services to investigate. Faith was away dealing with another case in Africa, and now that Dawn was old enough to take care of herself, Buffy was taking every opportunity she could to see the world. Xander had become Buffy's usual travelling companion, his argument being that he was the only one of the bunch who had no one to mourn him if he croaked, which always made Buffy and Willow scold him, however Buffy welcomed the company on these often long trips overseas._

_ Within a few minutes they'd come up to a slight clearing right in front of the mouth of a large cave, the ground was littered with dead vegetation, and once she knelt, Buffy could see tiny droplets of blood spattered about the leaves._

_ "There's definitely something in there..." she whispered to Xander, holding up what looked like a palm leaf, smeared with dried blood._

_ "Yeah, but A) what is it? And B) is it home right now?" Xander replied quietly._

_ "Only one way to find out" Buffy said as she stood and pulled a sword out of it's sheath strapped to her back, and a flashlight out of her pocket._

_ "Yeah, great idea Buff, let's go in with a light so it can see us coming!" Xander scoffed._

_ Buffy turned to face him, to find him gripping a large rifle._

_ "I thought I told you not to bring that." she sighed._

_ "It's for... panthers..." Xander stammered._

_ Buffy simply glowered at him, "It's going to be pitch black in there Xander, we need the light." she said, switching on the flashlight and stepping closer to the gaping mouth of the cave._

_ "And I'm not a Slayer... so I need the big gun." replied Xander as they crossed the threshold of the cave entrance and the daylight began to fade away behind them._

_ Halfway down the tunnel, the only sound they could hear was water dripping, most likely from nearby stalactites, but the light from their flashlight was so dim they could see none nearby._

_ "It's too quiet, I don't like it..." Xander whispered._

_ "Shhhh." Buffy replied, she was straining her heightened hearing for even the slightest noise that was out of place, the slightest sign that they weren't alone in the cave._

_ Suddenly, there was a loud rumbling, like rocks tumbling down the side of the wall, followed by a loud roar. Buffy spun around, trying to shine the flashlight in the direction of the noise, but she couldn't see anything. Before she knew what happened, the sound of Xander's scream had joined the roar, she searched frantically through the darkness but still couldn't see anything. Finally, the light came across Xander's discarded rifle, Buffy snatched it off the ground and fired into the air, completely disregarding the fact that she could cause a cave-in and kill them both. In the darkness she heard a thump followed by a moan, then the sound of loud footsteps thundering towards the entrance of the cave._

_ Her whole body shaking she continued to frantically search the cave with her small flashlight._

_ "Xander...? Xander...? Can you hear me?" She whispered._

_ A slight gurgle, and the sound of laboured breathing gave her a direction for her search, but it couldn't prepare her for the sight she was about to find. Her blood ran cold, and her stomach began to churn as the beam of light fell upon Xander, lying on the floor of the cave, his side ripped open, insides spilling out, his arm missing, and blood pooling onto the stone and dirt._

_ "Oh god..." Buffy whispered and ran to his side._

_ He gasped loudly as Buffy lifted his head._

_ "It's okay, it's okay, we'll get help, just stay calm..." Buffy rambled, cradling his head carefully._

_ "There's no... help... jungle, Buff." he managed to grunt._

_ "Shut up! Just, shut up!" She cried hysterically, "You're not dying."_

_ Xander slowly and strenuously lifted his remaining arm to grip Buffy's, "Kill it Buffy. Do... do what you do best. And tell... tell everyone..." he trailed off._

_ "Tell them what? Tell them what Xander?" Buffy whimpered._

_ Xander gritted his teeth and smiled, "You know... what to tell them. I love you, Buff..."_

_ His arm slid to the ground, and the laboured breathing grew silent as his head went limp in her hands._

_ Buffy shook uncontrollably, and she did something she hadn't done upon seeing a dead body in years._

_ She screamed._

Her eyes snapped open and Buffy shot up in her chair. Across from her at the table, she locked eyes with Olly, who was grinning at her in amusement.

"Only ten minutes, what did I tell you Lily?"

An eraser flew at his face, and he batted it out of the way, "Hey!"

To his right, Lily giggled, then turned to Buffy, "We thought we'd let you sleep for a bit, you looked worn out."

Buffy looked down at the table in front of her to see a large textbook cracked open in front of her, next to a notebook open to a page half-full of hastily scribbled notes. Lily and Olly both had a collection of books and notes scattered in front of them, and in the centre of the table was a pile of various highlighters and pens. She'd forgotten she'd been studying for her last final... she must have drifted off while she was reading. Her insides were twisted into a painful knot, and she felt cold and nervous. It hit her that she hadn't dreamed of Xander's horrifying death since she'd awoke as Madeline, and it worried her that it had begun again. She wondered if she should mention something to Giles.

While Buffy was lost in her own thoughts, Lily was studying her with concern, "Maddy? Are you alright? You look really pale."

Buffy turned to Lily, the back to Olly, who's expression mirrored Lily's.

"I... I'm okay. I just had a weird dream, that's all." She lied.

"Was it the one where Gandalf finds you and tells you you must help Frodo and Samwise find butter for their popcorn?" Olly asked eagerly.

Both Lily and Buffy gave him a bizarre questioning look.

"That was my weird dream... never mind..." Olly replied as his face turned a brilliant shade of red.

"You want to talk about it?" Lily asked Buffy.

Buffy smiled at Lily, but shook her head. How do you tell someone you just had a terrifying nightmare of your past-self's best friend being brutally murdered, and then continue to study for an exam? "I'm okay Lil... I just think I'm all studied out, I think I should call it a night." she answered as she closed the heavy textbook in front of her.

"Alright, good luck tomorrow!" Lily grinned.

"You still coming out to the Orchard to celebrate surviving our first semester of University tomorrow night?" Olly asked.

"Definitely. I'll see you then." She answered, flashing her best fake grin. She shoved her belongings into her bag, then left the cafe with a wave to her friends.

Walking into the crisp winter air, she shoved her hands into her coat pockets, and began to trudge home, her thoughts still plagued by images of Xander's last moments. Her head was down, and she was barely paying attention to where she was going.

"Hey."

A deep voice cut through her thoughts and she lifted her head. Just ahead of her on the sidewalk Angel stood leaning against a mailbox. He was regarding her with the same cautious concern she often saw on his face early in their previous relationship, and her stomach sunk, it just wasn't her night.

"I'm not patrolling tonight, so you don't need to follow me." she sighed, and continued walking. Angel met her slow pace and walked alongside her.

"I'm not here to follow you." he replied.

"Yet... we're both walking in the same direction." Buffy muttered.

"Look, I just wanted to apologize." he continued.

Buffy looked at him quizzically.

"For being so -"

"Annoying?" Buffy interjected.

"I was going to say forceful." he answered. She looked at him a little more sympathetically as they continued down the sidewalk together. "I just... I've seen how hard it can be. All of a sudden the fate of the world is sitting on your shoulders, I thought maybe it would be nice if someone could make it a bit easier for you."

The guilt Buffy felt at pushing him away so adamantly began to grow again, she knew all along he was only trying to do the right thing, but she couldn't let him know who she really was, she couldn't let him get close again.

"Why couldn't you have just put it that way in the first place?" She asked him sardonically.

He grinned a crooked, sheepish grin, but didn't reply.

"Thank you," Buffy continued, "But this is my burden to bear... I feel like it wouldn't be right to put that responsibility on others, regardless of whether they take it on willingly or not."

He stopped and nodded, Buffy turned to face him.

"I understand. If you change your mind though -"

"You'll be around?" She asked.

He grinned again, "You catch on quickly."

She smiled at him, then turned to continue home.

"By the way," he called from behind her. "You should look into that missing girl they just found."

Buffy frowned, then spun back around to face him, but Angel had disappeared from sight.

"What missing girl?" she whispered to the empty sidewalk where he'd been standing.

~o~

"Katarina Petrov. They found her on the outskirts of town two days ago, I can't believe you didn't hear about it, it was all over the news." Willow said as she spun her laptop around to show Buffy the news article she'd pulled up online. A picture of a plain looking teenager with long brown hair smiled back at her.

"I haven't been watching much television lately, I've spent all my spare time either slaying or studying." Buffy replied as she scanned the article. "I recognize her... she was a year below me in high school... They say cause of death isn't conclusive yet, but she was drained of blood."

"You study?" Giles asked incredulously, Buffy shot him an angry glare.

"I'm more freaked out that you recognize the lass, you didn't actually go to high school with her you know." Spike added.

"No, but Madeline did." Buffy said as she continued to breeze over the web page, "Angel said we should investigate her death... clearly she was killed by a vampire, but other than that I don't get why she should be important."

"Well, there is one thing that they don't mention in the article," Willow interjected, "She was a witch."

The other three grew silent upon the revelation.

"Did you know her?" Giles asked.

"Sort of..." Willow whispered quietly, she was visibly saddened by the young girls demise, "She was part of an online community for Wiccans, we met on a couple of occasions once she discovered we lived in the same town... I've got a bit of a reputation online..." Willow added while blushing.

"Yeah, you're a real big shot red," Spike drawled, kicking his feet up on the table.

"When was the last time you saw her?" Buffy asked.

"A couple of weeks ago, we ran into each other at the cafe. But we only talked for about ten minutes." Willow replied.

"Did she ask you anything suspicious?" Giles questioned.

"No... never. She asked my advice a few times but it was only ever for harmless little spells."

"Do you think she was killed because someone was trying to get her to cast a spell for them?" Buffy asked.

"I suppose it's possible... there aren't many witches in the area... if they couldn't find someone else..."

"You mean you." Buffy muttered quietly.

Willow's expression became one of guilt, "I guess... I suppose it's possible she wasn't powerful enough to do what they asked... and then they killed her for failing."

"Or succeeding." Spike piped in.

"Spike..." Willow choked, she hated the thought of the sweet, young girl being forced to use black magic against her will.

"What? You know it's equally possible! They don't want her to reveal to anyone what spell they had her cast, so they off her!"

Willows eyes fell to her lap, and she shook her head.

"Why on earth would a vampire ask a witch to cast a spell for them..." Giles wondered out loud.

Suddenly, the light bulb clicked on in Buffy's head, "Saul!" she exclaimed.

"I beg your pardon?" Giles asked.

"Saul, the vampire who told me where to find Angelus," Buffy began, "He said Angelus had some sort of plan he was working on, something he wouldn't tell anyone about."

"Alright, well the poof is dead, so why does that matter now?" Spike sighed.

"You think someone else did know about the plan... and they're working on it without him..." Willow exclaimed.

"It's the most logical explanation." Buffy said.

Giles got up and began pacing behind the large mahogany table they were seated around in his bookshop.

"Which leads us to the next question; what exactly was Angelus planning?" he asked.

Spike scoffed, "Nothing good, you can assume that much."

"I'll keep an ear to the ground while patrolling, see if I can find anything out." Buffy replied.

"And I think we should get back to researching this town," Willow added. "There was a reason Angelus came here... and I don't think it was just to show up unannounced on my doorstep."

"Yes, excellent point Willow. That is, if Buffy doesn't mind that we put our research of her resurrection on hold for the time being." Giles asked.

"If it's to avert another apocalypse, it's fine by me." Buffy sighed.

"Very well, I'll inform the Watchers' Council to begin researching any bizarre activities in this town with their sources." Giles said.

"Good. And on that note, I have a normal life to fake now." Buffy announced as she rose from the table.

~o~

**I'm not too happy with how the last part of this chapter turned out, but I didn't really know how to fix it. Really I just felt like it was time to throw them a bone, and get them on Dustin's trail.**

**On a more sombre note, we finally know what happened to Xander. I felt terrible killing him off in such a violent manner, but consider how much Buffy has seen it was only logical in my mind that something devastating and horrible would have to happen to send her off the deep end.  
Also, when I started thinking up this story, I thought having Giles and Willow around would be more beneficial to Buffy, so unfortunately Xander was the one who met the untimely end. I sort of doubted my ability to write him as well, but I ended up surprising myself a little... I don't think I did a terrible job! Maybe I'm just nuts but I could actually picture Xander making the "it's for panthers" comment. :p**

**Reviews make me smile.**


	17. Chapter 17: This Wouldn't Happen To

**Two long-ish chapters in one day! Wow!**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

* * *

_"No reason to get excited  
The thief he kindly spoke  
There are many here among us  
Who feel that life is but a joke  
But you and I we've been through that  
And this is not our fate  
So let us not talk falsely now  
The hour's getting late "_  
- "All Along the Watchtower" by Bob Dylan

Chapter 17: This Wouldn't Happen to Clark Kent

She was being watched, there was no doubt about it. What was meant to be a relaxing evening out with her friends had turned into one of overactive slayer-senses. Buffy was hardly able to concentrate on the conversation unfolding between Olly, Lily and herself, she was too busy scanning the small venue for any suspicious characters, but was unable to see anyone. If she wasn't so certain about her abilities she would think maybe the conversation she just had with Giles, Willow, and Spike was simply feeding her paranoia, however she knew that wasn't the case. She considered for a moment taking a brief walk around the club, however she was reluctant to leave Lily and Olly unattended. Though it was her duty so protect everyone in the establishment, if something were to go down, she would make it her first priority to get her two friends out safely.

"Earth to Maddy..." Olly sung, waving his arms about his head in a comical manner.

Buffy jerked her attention away from scanning the crowd, and gave a stiff smile to her two companions.

"What?" she asked tightly.

"What are you staring at?" Olly asked, peering in the direction Buffy had been looking just a moment ago, "Is it a guy?" he teased, turning back towards her.

"No... I just..." she paused, chewing on her bottom lip as her mind raced for an appropriate response, "I just realized I think I wrote the wrong answer on one of my essay questions..."

Olly groaned, and buried his face in his palm.

"Forget about school! It's the holidays now! It's time for Christmas, and New Years, and relaxing!" Lily cheered.

"Right, relaxing." Buffy echoed. She certainly didn't feel relaxed. She could still feel someones eyes on her, and had yet to determine whether they were friend or foe.

"Right. So sit back, and enjoy the band!" Lily encouraged.

"Yeah, right, sit back and listen to Lily's boyfriend and his buddies." Olly teased, glaring at Joel, the scruffy drummer, as he hopped up on the stage.

"He's not my boyfriend Olly... we went on one date, he was a jerk." Lily replied hotly.

"Sorry, my bad." Olly replied. As soon as Lily's head was turned, he shot a quick glance and thumbs up to Buffy, who chuckled. She had to say, despite her current distraction, that it was nice this time around to have people who were completely removed from her life as a slayer. Had this been an evening at the Bronze with Willow and Xander back in the day, they would already been in deep discussion about Katarina, and how they could discover what she had to do with the plan Angelus had been concocting before his demise. Sighing deeply, Buffy decided to do as her friends suggested, and sit back to enjoy the band. She could keep her guard up while enjoying a night out. If anyone deserved to blow off some steam, it was her.

~o~

As Buffy left the Orchard later that evening, accompanied by Lily and Olly she felt much more refreshed. The evening had gone on without a hitch - or demonic attack. She was feeling so good, in fact, that she was even considering forgoing her usual excuses, and letting Olly give her a ride home instead of swinging by the graveyard for patrol. The feeling vanished however, as they rounded the corner to cut through a nearby alley on their way to Olly's car.

"Hey, Slayer!" a deep male voice shouted from behind them.

Buffy froze, leaving Lily and Olly to turn to her in confusion, before glancing behind them at the figure who called them. Should she turn and fight? Or ignore him, and hope they could get to Olly's car before anyone got hurt.

"I said, Hey! Slayer!" he repeated. His voice was louder, he was approaching them.

Buffy swallowed hard, and against her better judgment, turned around. A vampire stalked towards them. Rather average in height, but very muscular, as though he'd been pumped on steroids before his death.

"Maddy... what are you doing?" Lily whispered, clutching Olly's arm.

"Guys... go to the car." she muttered under her breath, "What do you want?" She called to the vampire.

"It's not what I want," He chuckled, cracking his knuckles against the palm of his opposite hand, "It's what Dustin wants... and Dustin wants you dead."

"Well, you can tell your pal Dustin to take a number." she quipped, when suddenly she heard the sound of Lily screaming. Spinning on her heel, she saw two other vampires had come from the opposite end of the alleyway, and grabbed both Lily and Olly. Olly managed to wrestle free from one, and began attempting to pry Lily away from the other. He barely had an arm free before the vampire that had been holding him slammed the side of his fist into the back of his head, and sent Olly crumpling to the ground.

"No!" Lily wailed, struggling uselessly against her assailant.

Ignoring the beefcake that had been calling her, Buffy rushed towards her friends and slammed Olly's attacker into the brick wall. He recovered quickly and swung around, landing a solid punch to the side of Buffy's face.

"Maddy! Maddy run!" shouted Lily, still unable to free herself from the third vampire.

While Buffy continued to fight with the vampire that had knocked him out, Olly began to come to, as he groaned and rolled over onto his back, the first vampire grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and heaved him up the side of the brick wall.

"Don't touch him!" Buffy growled, and turned her back on her opponent to run to Olly's aid. The vampire dropped Olly to the ground again, and turned back to Buffy, using all of his strength, he threw a punch at her, hitting her in the exact same place as the other vampire, and causing her to momentarily see stars. In that mere second of disorientation, the beefcake vampire grabbed Buffy from behind, and locking her arms behind her back, hoisted her off the ground. Buffy struggled, but with no leverage, was unable to free herself.

"Get rid of the civilians, they're not important." he said to the other two.

"Don't you dare, don't you DARE!" Buffy raged, when suddenly the sound of metal striking something rang out behind her, and her captor went limp. With her feet planted safely on the ground she turned, to see Angel standing behind her, wielding a long piece of discarded pipe. He tossed it aside, and whipping a stake out from his pocket drove it through the heart of the bulky vampire.

"Alright, who's next?" he asked, brushing the ashes off of his duster, and turning towards the remaining two vampires. They were unmoving, obviously not prepared for the wrinkle in their plan.

Buffy used their moment of stunned silence to her advantage, and staked the second vampire, before ripping Lily away from the third, and tossing him towards Angel. With only a few swift kicks and punches, Angel had disposed of him, and the four were left alone, and relatively unscathed.

"Are you alright?" Angel asked, as he slipped the stake back into his pocket, it was evident he was trying not to press her into conversation.

"Yeah... thank you." she replied, still clutching Lily tightly.

He shrugged nonchalantly, "Like I said, I'll be around if you need me."

Buffy nodded, and he disappeared down the alley.

Olly sat propped up against the wall of the alley, rubbing the back of his head, he stared in confusion at the pile of ashes that moments ago he could have sworn was a person.

"Wh-what just happened, Maddy...?" Lily asked softly, she still hadn't let go of Buffy's coat.

Buffy sighed and closed her eyes; there was no lying her way out of this.

"Was that... did I... did that guy just explode into dust?" Olly mumbled, pointing at the pile of ashes in front of him.

"Get in the car guys, I'm gonna take you to someone who'll explain all of this." she stated simply.

~o~

Buffy pulled Olly's car up to the curb outside Giles' shop. Stopping jerkily, she shifted into park and turned off the ignition.

"We're here." she said. They were the first words she'd spoken since the three of them had piled into the automobile. Olly sat up in the back seat and looked around, while Lily studied the storefront in confusion.

"Why are we at a bookstore?" she asked quietly.

Buffy turned to Lily; her eyes were still wide in fright, and Olly was still rubbing the back of his head, "Just trust me, okay guys."

They exited the car, and Buffy led them to the storefront. Through the window, she could see Giles sitting at the large table with a pile of old books stacked at his side. She knocked on the glass of the door, and Giles looked up from his reading. His expression became one of puzzlement as he noticed the two teenagers standing behind her. He rose from the table and crossed the room to unlock the door.

"Can I help you?" Giles asked, looking at Buffy pointedly, before casting his gaze to her two unfamiliar companions.

"I sure hope you can, Giles."

~o~

Giles studied the two students quietly as the digested the information he and Buffy and just finished divulging to them. They were both silent and pensive. The girl's eyes hadn't relaxed from their widened state since they'd arrived, and a small crease was forming between the boy's eyebrows from the amount of frowning he was doing. Buffy was sitting across from them at the table, twisting her fingers in her lap, as she chewed her bottom lip and eyed them nervously. He could tell she was worried about how they would react to knowing that the person they had thought was their best friend these past few months was really someone else. He could only imagine how she felt; finally beginning to feel like she fit in here in this new world, and now potentially having it ripped away such a short time later.

Finally, the pixie-like girl spoke.

"So... what happened to Madeline?" she whispered, searching Buffy's face intently for some sign that this wasn't really her friend.

"I... I don't know." Buffy sighed, her eyes met Lily's, but as soon as she saw the worry there, she averted them again, "That's what Giles has been helping me to try and find out."

Buffy's response didn't seem to help Lily much, her wide eyes still stayed transfixed on Buffy.

"Why Maddy?" Olly asked gruffly, "Why you? Why here?" He still stared at the tabletop, refusing to meet Buffy's eyes.

Tears welled up in Buffy's eyes as she looked between her two closest friends. They were frightened, distant, and confused. Things that Buffy never wanted for them, she wondered if they'd left the Orchard just a little bit earlier or later if this whole situation could have been avoided, and her friends could have gone on living blissfully unaware of the dangers that lurked outside their homes late at night.

"I wish I had more answers for you... I really do." Buffy choked, "I know all this is strange for you, but I am still Madeline to some extent. I remember everything about her... everything about you." she continued, her voice rising, "Olly, I remember when you left thumbtacks on Mrs. Orford's chair in third grade because she yelled at Lily in class... and Lily, I remember last year, at Senior Prom when you got the skirt of your dress caught in the Limo door, and it got stained with grease, so I ripped one of the straps off of mine, and Olly cut his tie in half..." she rambled.

Giles watched as tears welled up in Lily's eyes, and Olly rubbed his hand over his face.

"I'm sorry this happened... if I could leave and bring the real Madeline back, I would... because you're good people and you don't deserve to go through this..." She paused, and took a deep, calming breath. "I understand if this is too strange for you, and you'd rather not see me again though..." she added quietly.

Lily's eyes grew, if possible, wider, and she stared at Buffy in disbelief, however it was Olly who first spoke;

"This is a lot of information for one night... vampires, demons... reincarnated slayers... I need some time to process... Let's go home Lily."

Buffy looked crushed, Giles noted she was now wearing the same hopeless expression she'd had on her face when she'd first reappeared through the front door of his shop.

"What?" Lily asked incredulously.

"It's okay Lily... I understand." Buffy whispered.

Olly rose from the table and Lily followed suit, however reluctantly, and headed for the door. Just before exiting she turned back to face Buffy, who had her back to the door;

"Thank you... B-Buffy... for saving us tonight." she said quietly, then slipped out the door towards Olly's car.

Buffy closed her eyes, then buried her face in the palms of her hands. Giles finally slid into the chair next to hers and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright, Buffy?" he asked.

She turned to him, her eyes welling with tears, it seemed like she was crying an awful lot these days. "Not really... but I guess I should have seen this coming."

"Well, you've never really been very successful in keeping your identity a secret..." Giles replied, leaning back in the chair. Buffy smiled ruefully at him.

"Thanks Giles..." she sighed, "Well, I guess this will make things easier now... I won't have to worry about them getting hurt because they're too close to me."

Despite her tears, Giles could see the adult Buffy shining through during moments like this. Clearly she was hurt by being abandoned by her friends, but she was still trying to push through, because it was her duty.

"I know this is hard on you, Buffy, but you still have Willow, and Spike, and myself... and we have no intention of deserting you." Giles assured her.

Buffy smiled again, this time a much more genuine smile. It was in times like this that she was always glad to have her mentor and one of her oldest friends by her side, despite his fumbling bookworm nature, he always knew the right thing to say. He always knew how to make her feel better about any situation.

"There is something you should know about the attack tonight..." Buffy replied, changing the subject. Giles gave no response, simply gave Buffy a more pointed look.

"I didn't save Lily and Olly... Angel did." she confessed.

"Angel? But I thought he'd stopped trying to approach you?" Giles asked.

"He has. I guess he's still following me though - not that I'm complaining in this case... I was distracted by trying to free the two of them, the other vampire had gotten the upper hand... if he hadn't been there... I don't know if Lily and Olly would have driven away just a few moments ago."

Giles was silent for a moment, lost in his own thoughts, "It seems Angel is rather adamant about helping you, despite thinking you are a new slayer..." he muttered.

"I know... that's why I was thinking that maybe I should bring him to see you." Buffy replied.

"Are you sure, Buffy? I thought you wanted to keep your distance, that you didn't want him to find out your true identity." Giles questioned.

"I don't... which is why when I bring him here, you'll call me Madeline, and you will make no indication that I'm really Buffy. Make sure Willow and Spike know as well."

"Are you positive you'll be able to keep up the charade? It sounds to me like you'll be walking on thin ice."

"I know Giles... but we've had a few encounters now... and he doesn't seem to have caught on yet." Buffy assured him, "Giles, if there really is something big about to happen here, I'm going to need all the help I can get... I can't turn down Angel, he's the best ally we could ask for in a situation like this."

Giles sighed deeply, he didn't like the idea of lying to Angel. He'd been very helpful in recent years and it seemed just as unfair to keep him in the dark as it did when he was hiding Buffy from Willow and Spike. He knew Buffy's death must be torturing him as much, if not more, than it had everyone else... especially now that he'd been brought back as yet another vampire. However, Buffy did have a good point, Angel had always been an immense help in any of their battles, not only for his strength and fighting abilities, but for his vast knowledge as well. He could see on Buffy's face that she was worried about the prospect of having to work so closely with Angel again, and he, himself, was not thrilled with the thought of the two of them playing out their tragic love story once more... It dawned on him then, that the only way to keep Buffy safe would be to make sure everyone stayed tight lipped about who was really in control of Madeline Cross' body. Giles knew how deeply Angel had cared for Buffy, there would be know way he would fall for another slayer.

"Alright," he agreed finally, "Bring him by next time you see him. I'll inform Willow and Spike of what's going on."

Buffy nodded, then leaning against the table, rested her head in the palm of her hand. Despite Giles' approval, she couldn't help feeling like she was about to get herself tangled in a very large web of lies.

~o~

**Has anyone noticed that this is the second chapter I've written with an allusion to a superhero in the title? I'm really just curious to see if there's anyone out there who's as big a nerd as I am!**

**So, Lily and Olly finally know the truth! How long do you think they'll stay mad? ;)**

**I know you're all gonna be frustrated that Buffy is thinking of bringing Angel into the mix without telling him who she really is, but what's a good story without conflict?  
I wonder what will happen next time they meet...**

**It finally started snowing outside, reviews warm me like a fire.**

**Until next week!  
**


	18. Chapter 18: New and Old Allies Unite

**Sorry for the late-ish update, I've had appointments all weekend! I'm dreading going back to work tomorrow, I feel like I didn't even get to relax.**

**So, someone pointed out in the reviews that Katarina Petrov (or a very close variation of it) is actually a name from _The Vampire Diaries_. Now, seeing as I don't think I've caught more than 30 seconds of that show while channel surfing (the commercials made it seem too much like _Twilight_, and no offense to any _Twilight_ fans who may be reading, but I cannot stand it- don't get me ranting, we'll just leave it at that), it's a very strange and embarrassing coincidence.  
I'm strongly against stealing other people's artistic ideas without giving due credit, and I try very hard when I'm writing anything to make sure I'm not pulling things out of the dark recesses of my memory and claiming them as my own... and trust me, it's very dark back there most of the time, haha.  
But alas, I wrote the majority of this story while extremely sleep-deprived (I work really, really early in the morning... it really doesn't help my brain function properly), so maybe I'd heard the name somewhere, and it swam back into my brain while I was writing.**

**Alright, so I'm rambling now. In short, if any of you notice any other names that sound a little too much like they're from something else, please feel free to pm me and let me know! I can assure you that it's completely unintentional!**

**And now, on with the story!  
**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you for the continued reviews!**

* * *

Chapter 18: New and Old Allies Unite

Buffy sat curled up in the living room, her nose once more buried in a book. She'd discovered Madeline's guilty pleasure when she didn't want to get too invested in a book was to read murder mystery novels, and since it was looking like she'd be spending a lonely winter break without Lily and Olly to entertain her, she was more than happy to forget her troubles and read about someone else's blood and gore for a change. A hesitant knock at the door broke the silence in the house, pulling Buffy out of her fictional world. Her father was at work, however it was the middle of the day, no need for her to be suspicious of visitors. Lying her book face down on the couch she strolled over to the front door and pulled it open. Lily stood on the other side, looking a bit nervous and unsure of herself.

"Hi..." she greeted Buffy, barely above a whisper.

"Hi..." Buffy replied tentatively.

"I... um... I really wanted to talk to you about last night." Lily stated finally.

"Oh. Okay. Come in."

Buffy stepped back to let Lily through the door, she followed her back into the living room, and the two girls settled onto the couch facing each other.

"Look, Madd-er-"

"You can call me Madeline if you want... if you're more comfortable..." Buffy replied softly, it was hard for her to see her friend acting so uncertain and guarded around her.

"Maddy... I just wanted to say sorry. For leaving like that. For Olly too..."

Buffy regarded her friend in puzzlement, "You don't need to apologize, you had every right to be freaked out, to hate me, even."

"No! You're wrong! You... you're exactly like her, I couldn't hate you."

Buffy could feel her throat tighten at her friend's heartfelt confession.

"If you'd never said anything... Olly and I never would have known the difference. I mean, you seemed distracted, but we thought it was just because of your mother, or maybe school... but you're still our friend."

"But I'm not..."

"It doesn't matter!" Lily exclaimed, "You've been my friend for so long, I don't think I could imagine a life without you in it... and I know Olly feels the same way, he was just scared."

Buffy shook her head, it would break her heart to do this, but she had to keep Lily out of danger, "No, Lily. You're gonna have to. This won't be like it used to... there are other things involved now, and I can't let you or Olly get hurt."

"We won't. We'll stay in the background. You can fight all those ugly creatures out there, and Olly and I will do the other stuff... but we're not letting you do this on your own; we want to help." Lily argued.

Buffy felt her resolve wavering, her nostalgic side was remembering the old days, sitting in the Sunnydale High Library brainstorming with Giles, Willow, Xander, and whoever else tagged along over the years... she'd already caved on the subject of Angel, what difference would it make if there were a few more?

"Where's Olly now?" Buffy asked.

Lily's expression fell, "He... he didn't know if he was ready to see you... but he did agree with me on this. We're your friends Maddy, Buffy, whoever you are..." she giggled nervously, "I don't think I could walk away, knowing what I know now, about what's out there, and not do anything. We're in this whether you like it or not."

Buffy smiled at Lily warmly, she couldn't believe she'd been so lucky to have found such dedicated friends a second time around.

"Alright... but you have to promise, you'll leave all the fighting to me."

"Deal." Lily agreed grinning widely.

"I hope you realize what you've just gotten yourself into Lil..." Buffy sighed.

"I'm sure I'll find out soon enough." Lily shrugged.

~o~

After she'd let him trail her through the cemetery for at least a half an hour, Angel had still made no move to approach her. It both infuriated and amused Buffy that he was keeping such a watchful eye on her still, and now with no friends or defenseless humans to protect she could sense him strongly on her trail. She stopped in her tracks and waited, he still made no move. She chuckled under her breath, then turned towards the shadows where she could feel his presence.

"You don't have to hide you know, I won't bite tonight... I promise." she called, throwing her hands up in mock surrender.

Finally with a faint rustling of leaves, Angel stepped into view, a small grin playing on his lips, however his eyes were still cautious.

"Are you doing alright?" he asked.

"Yeah... thanks again, by the way." she replied.

"Just trying to help..." he answered.

"Yeah, about that..."

"I know, you can take care of yourself," he muttered.

"I can. But... maybe I can't take care of everyone... by myself." she confessed.

Angel didn't reply, he just studied her silently, trying to gauge if she was being sincere. Finally, the tiny smirk returned.

"Go on..." he chuckled.

Buffy crossed her arms across her chest, "Look, if you're going to be smug about it..."

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry." he replied, leaning back against a nearby crypt.

"Well, I'm a slayer... if I die, another will be sent, it's how it works." she began, she could see he grew uncomfortable at the mention of her inevitable demise, "But my friends... the other people in this town... they don't deserve to be caught up in this battle. So, maybe, for their sake, you should help me..." Buffy lied, a little more expertly than she'd intended.

"Of course... for _their_ sakes." Angel echoed, though the twinkle in his eye lent Buffy to believe that he knew she wasn't telling the whole truth.

"Exactly." She agreed, "So... what do you say? Partners?" she asked, extending her hand towards him.

"Partners." He took her hand in his, and she felt the same warm tingle of energy she used to feel when they touched spread up her arm, and send shivers down her spine. She shook it off instantly, chalking it up to the fact that it had been so long since they'd allowed themselves to have any physical contact, that was all... but she could see on Angel's face that he had felt something too, something that he'd felt was familiar, or unusual.

"Meet me downtown tomorrow night, I need to take you to meet someone." Buffy interjected immediately as she pulled her hand away, not allowing him more time to dwell on what had just happened.

Snapping out of his daze, Angel nodded, and took a step back from Buffy.

"Good. Well, be seeing you." she said hurriedly, and began to slowly edge away from where Angel was standing.

"Goodnight." he replied, but didn't move. He simply watched her leave with a look of confusion and intrigue on his face.

_"Hello ruby in the dust,_  
_ Has your band begun to rust,_  
_ After all the sin we've had,_  
_ I was hopin' that we'd turn back,_  
_ Old enough now,_  
_ To change your name,_  
_ When so many love you,_  
_ Is it the same,_  
_ It's the woman in you,_  
_ That makes you want to play this game."_  
- "Cowgirl in the Sand" by Neil Young

~o~

**You know, I think I'm just going to make a habit of posting 2 chapters at once.**

**Also, I forgot to mention in Chapter 16 that the dream Olly mentions he had about being on a quest for butter is actually based on a real dream a friend of mine had years ago, just substitute the Lord of the Rings characters for Star Wars... yeah, I have really nerdy friends.  
Completely irrelevant, I know, but I thought it would be a funny anecdote.**

**Angel hasn't caught on yet... and I know a lot of you are going to question why he doesn't sense Buffy the way she senses him, but just be patient! I can't reveal everything at once now can I? I've gotta build some tension! ;)**

**Chapter 19 coming right up!  
**


	19. Chapter 19: Grudges

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you for reviewing!**

* * *

_"Nothing will be forever gone  
Memories will stay and find their way  
What goes around will come around  
Don't deny your fears  
So let them go and fade into light  
Give up the fight here"  
_- "Chasing the Dragon" by Epica

~o~_  
_

Chapter 19: Grudges

Bucharest, Romania; present day:

The snow crunched under his feet as he tread down the sidewalk and up the stairs to the entrance of a quaint apartment building on the outskirts of the city. It was an old building, the architecture clearly dating to the neo-classical era, and it was probably around that time that it had fallen into the ownership of their family. Pulling open the large front doors, he stopped in the hallway to stamp the snow off his boots before continuing on his way. An older woman nodded to him as he passed her, carrying a large basket of laundry. He turned down the hallway to a steep stairwell, winding down towards the basement. Descending slowly into the dimly lit space, he was met with the faint sounds of humming, and the smell of incense. Once he reached the bottom of the stairs, he found himself in a small but warm apartment, furnished with well-used antiques made of dark-stained wood, rich tapestries, and book cases stuffed with ancient leather bound volumes, as well as jars filled with various herbs, spices... and other things he dare not inquire about.

The humming came from the centre of the room, where a young woman sat cross legged on the floor in front of a low coffee table. Her eyes were closed as she continued with her melody, and she waved her hand over top a large cup of steaming liquid. She stopped humming, downed the liquid in almost one gulp, then turned the cup upside down over a handkerchief laid flat on top of the table. She opened her eyes and removed the cup. On top of the handkerchief, dark leaves were scattered. The woman studied the leaves with her brow furrowed, before looking up at her visitor.

"Uncle... what brings you here?" She asked quietly. She rose gathering the cup and handkerchief with her, then crossed the room to the kitchen sink. She placed the cup in the basin, then shook out the kerchief, before placing it on the counter beside the sink.

"I'm sure you must already know, Nadya." he replied, crossing into the main room, and seating himself in an old wooden rocking chair.

The young woman frowned, running her hand over the handkerchief before turning back to face him.

"I have read things... yes." she affirmed.

"Then you know; the soul as returned."

Nadya crossed back into the main room, and stood facing him. Her long dark hair hung in loose curls down her back, and she toyed with one of the many bangles that adorned her wrists. She looked like a stereotypical gypsy, if it weren't for the long sleeved t-shirt she wore with her long flowing skirt.

"Yes." She replied simply, "But it still does not explain your visit."

He leaned forward in his chair, "I have spoken with the elder... the soul was not restored by our magic."

She looked up from her wrists, confusion was written all over her face, "Then how?" she wondered aloud.

"We do not know." He said as he rose from the chair and began pacing in front of the coffee table. "The fact remains, however, that the curse must be intact."

Nadya continued to watch him, her face grew grim, "And how, Uncle, will we achieve this?"

"You must go to America, Nadya, you must remove his soul, and return it with our magic." he explained.

Nadya turned towards the mantle behind her, her hand moved to caress a small wooden box that sat there.

"The elder is far too old to make the journey... her strength wavers... You, however, poised as her successor, you are the only other candidate for the task." he continued.

"Why can't we just leave him be? He has the soul, he will feel remorse for his actions. He has been making true amends these last twenty years." she asked, still studying the small wooden box.

"It's not good enough he makes amends! He must suffer for what he did to our people!"

There was a chilling silence that filled the room. Nadya frowned, as her grip tightened on the lid of the wooden box, and she exhaled heavily. "I know, Uncle... I know." she murmured, "I will go."

She opened the box, and a small glass-like orb sat nestled in a velvet cloth.

"I will honour the Romani."

~o~

Peering through the dirt-stained glass of a warehouse skylight, Buffy could see at least a dozen vampires milling inside the large open room below. Turning away from the window, she pulled a large crossbow armed with a grappling hook from a sports bag behind her, then stood to face Angel.

"I count at least twelve... you still think this is a good idea?" she asked, glancing up at him momentarily as she double checked that the grappling hook was loaded properly.

Angel stood behind her, dressed in what she'd come to know as a typical Angel-style duster, with his arms folded across his chest, he shrugged at her, "I think we're tight enough, don't you?"

"I'm not worried about them winning... more that your cover will be blown if any of them get away."

Angel flashed her a mischievous grin that almost made her melt, before she mentally checked herself.

"Then I guess we better not let that happen." he replied.

She shook her head at him, then aimed the grappling hook directly at the skylight. The Angel she'd know when she'd first started Slaying would have advised caution, not storming into battle, two against twelve. Sometimes when they patrolled together, and she was forced to pretend she was Madeline Cross, she forgot that twenty years had gone by since then, and Angel had fought many battles on his own in that time.

Over the past few weeks, he'd been a regular companion on her nightly patrols. Olly and Lily would pick her up after dinner, drive her over to the bookstore, where they'd stay to research with Giles, Willow, and Spike, while Buffy would leave for the graveyard, or the Industrial Park, where Angel would always meet up with her on the way.

She'd found it quite easy to fall back into old habits, to match Angel's moves, his timing, to use his strengths to her advantage while they fought. To Angel, it simply looked like she was a quick study, she just had to be careful to not stay synchronized with him too closely. Her initial worries that spending too much time with Angel would cause him to recognize that she was really Buffy had begun to wane; though they got along famously, and Angel was just as protective of her as ever, she had yet to catch him staring at her with those puppy dog eyes, and therefore chalked it up to him attempting to continue on his path of retribution by keeping her safe. She just had to make sure that he never caught her making puppy dog eyes at him... she would admit it was difficult being around him like this so often, there was so much that reminded her of their past, that reminded her of how she could have fallen so desperately in love with him, but the fact that she could bury all those feelings underneath an alternate persona made everything easier to deal with.

So did the fact that she was currently bearing down on a dozen or so vampires.

"Here we go." She muttered under her breath, as she aimed the crossbow through the skylight at a beam in the ceiling. She pulled the trigger, and the grappling hook exploded through the window, shards of glass flying everywhere, as it wrapped itself around the beam. Tossing the crossbow behind her, she grabbed onto the rope and swung herself through the skylight, rappelling herself down the rope, to the open room below, where twelve bewildered vampires stared at her in shock. Angel landed on the ground beside her just moments later, and with a brief glance between each other, they flew into action.

Though they moved in opposite directions, each taking on a different hoard of vampires that had dove head first at the intruders, watching them fight was like watching a dance, they matched each other punch for punch, kick for kick, as they left a trail of ashes in their wake. Moving in on the last of the clan, Buffy swung a strong backhand across the side of his face, before waiting for him to recoil then smashed her palm into the bridge of his nose, he fell back against the cement wall of the warehouse, clutching his nose between his hands as Buffy jabbed the stake home. The ashes of their victims fluttered through the air like snowflakes as she turned to find Angel approaching her, brushing dust off the shoulder of his coat.

"Is that all of them?" he asked.

"A little late for a head count don't you think?" she replied cheekily.

He smirked at her, then frowned as he raised his hand to the side of her face, "You have a little..." he brushed his hand through a strand of hair that had fallen loose of her ponytail. She shivered slightly, and looked down to her feet as a small chunk of ash drifted to the ground.

"Sorry..." he whispered, and quickly pulled back his hand, shoving it rather roughly into the pocket of his duster, before turning away from her slightly to scan their surroundings.

"It's okay..." she muttered, tucking the strand of hair behind her ear, "So... um... we should do a sweep... see if we find anything..."

"Right. I'll start at the back" Angel agreed, then hurried off towards a back door, which looked like it lead to a break room or office, without so much as another glance at Buffy. Buffy watched him go, chewing her bottom lip in frustration, before turning towards a long series of shelves stacked sky-high with boxes.

~o~

Less than a half hour later, after their search yielded no clues towards Katarina Petrov's death, or the plan that Angelus may have been brewing, Buffy and Angel found themselves walking silently back to the bookstore. Buffy didn't know why Angel's small touch had suddenly driven such a large wedge between their budding partnership, it was not as though they had never touched before. Of course, previous times had been during training or sparring sessions, hardly to be seen as friendly or romantic in nature. Buffy could understand completely why it had made her weak in the knees, but Angel's behaviour was baffling her.

"So still no signs of Dustin?" she asked, trying to break the tension.

"No," Angel replied hastily, almost as though he was relieved by the break in the silence, "None of those vamps were affiliated with him before, and there weren't any signs of magic on the premises."

"Affiliated... premises... you'd think we're hunting down the mob..." Buffy joked, then cringed at her own awkward attempt to forget what had just happened in the warehouse.

"Or the undead equivalent." Angel replied, either oblivious to her poor joke, or trying to spare her feelings. She would give Angel one thing, whether he knew what he was doing or not, he was always able to say the right thing in order to ease her mind, and by the time they'd arrived back at the bookstore, the awkward moment was almost forgotten.

Walking through the front door, they found the rest of the group huddled around the large mahogany table, book and scrolls scattered everywhere.

"I bloody well give up! This may as well be hieroglyphics!" Spike growled, pushing the large volume away from himself. Lily, who sat to his left, pulled it closer and scanned the passage he'd been reading.

"It's just Sumerian, it says that every 250 years the Adramelech will rise to feast on the souls of the... oh... this is icky, and irrelevant."

"You get used to the 'icky' eventually." Willow sighed with bemusement.

"You read Sumerian?" Giles piped in.

"Yeah... I'm, um, minoring in ancient languages..." Lily replied almost sheepishly, "Should I have mentioned that?"

Giles pushed an old weathered scroll in her direction, "Yes, I've been keeping all the heavy reading for myself." he grumbled, before readjusting his glasses and turning back to the passage he'd been studying.

Lily grinned, she found Giles endearing, even while being grumpy, then carefully unrolled the aged parchment.

Olly was the first to notice that Buffy and Angel had returned, looking up from the large book cracked open in front of him, his expression brightened significantly on seeing them approaching the table.

"Hey! Looks who's back already! Kill anything interesting!" he asked, thankful for an excuse to take a break from all the dark reading.

"Just some run of the mill vampires," Buffy replied as she slumped into an empty chair around the table, "Still no sign of Dustin, or what happened to Katarina."

As she settled into her chair, she noticed that Angel had circled around to the opposite side of the table, to lean against the railing of the balcony, still in the conversation, but out of the way. Clearly he didn't feel the need to stay by her side, now that they were safely indoors and amongst friends, but Buffy couldn't help feeling a little disappointed that he hadn't sat down beside her.

"Are we sure it's Dustin we're looking for?" Olly asked, kicking his feet up onto the table.

"It has to be... it seemed like Dustin was Angelus' right-hand man – or vamp." Buffy replied, "Plus he seems to be the one that wants me dead, which is a pretty good tip off."

"Most demons want you dead, Love, that's not much to go on," Spike chuckled.

"Well we don't have anything else to go on right now, now do we Spike?" Angel muttered with slight disdain. He didn't understand why it bothered him so much that Spike addressed the young Slayer so casually.

"Oi, newsflash mate, this isn't Angel Investigations, you don't get to call the shots..." Spike trailed off as he noticed Willow glaring daggers at him.

"We don't have anything else to go on until we can find out exactly what sort of spell Katarina was killed for casting," she said.

"There's nothing you can do Willow? Magic-wise?" Giles inquired.

"There is one spell, but I would need to be in the location that Katarina cast her spell in... and well, since we don't know where that is..."

The group grew silent. The lack of information seemed to be piling up against them, and the more experienced of the bunch knew that the longer it took them to uncover what they were up against, the more time their opponents had to prepare themselves; and that was never advantageous.

Suddenly Angel's brow furrowed, and he leaned forward, using his arms to brace himself on the back of an empty chair, "He could have gone underground."

Giles' expression became pensive, and he nodded slowly, "That is very possible, there aren't many places to hide in such a small town... if he's trying to keep this plan of his safe from Madeline, staying off the streets would be the most logical choice."

"I'll start canvasing the sewers, see if I can find anything."

"Are you sure that's a good idea Angel? What if someone saw you with Madeline?" Willow questioned anxiously.

"It's a chance we'll have to take. We don't really have any other options without putting the rest of you in danger."

"What about you being in danger?" Lily squeaked, she was still a little intimidated by the vampire, despite him having saved her life.

Angel cracked a bit of an amused grin, "I can take care of myself, but thanks."

"What if they recognize you?" Buffy asked, trying desperately to not let her concern show too much in her voice. They were just partners here, now, in this life, she couldn't let on that she would worry about him potentially walking into the lion's den alone.

"Well, best case scenario, I go with it and they let me in on the plan."

"And worst case?" Olly pried gently.

"I end up dead."

The conversation came to another halt.

"Well, although I can see you're all very excited about this plan of Angel's, it's the only one we've got," Spike interjected.

"Though I'm reluctant to agree, Spike does have a point..." Giles sighed.

"Good. Then I may as well get started," Angel said, as he straightened the collar of his jacket and began to head towards the door.

Before she knew what she was doing, Buffy had leaped out of her seat, "Angel, wait!"

He turned back to face her, his expression inquisitive.

"Um... be careful." she stammered, immediately regretting her actions.

Angel smiled at her reassuringly, "I will. I'll meet you in the cemetery tomorrow night, let you know if I've found anything."

Buffy nodded, and watched as he strode quietly out of the store and into the night. When she turned back around to slide into her seat, she noticed both Willow and Lily were staring at her with a twinkle in their eyes, she knew she would end up in a lengthy discussion with them afterward.

Spike began to chuckle heartily, "Oh, you are so transparent Love!"

Buffy narrowed her eyes towards him, "Excuse me?"

"Oh Angel! Be careful!" Spike mocked in a failed attempt to mimic Buffy's voice.

"Shut up Spike," She growled, pulling one of the large books towards her and scanning the open page.

"Do you really expect him not to catch on and think little Maddy here has developed some sort of silly schoolgirl crush on him?" Spike egged her on.

Buffy slammed the book shut loudly and rose from her seat, "I said, shut it." she seethed, then stormed out of the store.

Giles sighed, before removing his glasses and lying them on the table, "Well done Spike, it's an excellent idea to piss off someone who could conceivably snap you in two."

"Hey, I can hold my own in a fight!"

"You don't have to be a jerk just because you're jealous." Willow grumbled.

"Jealous? Me? You're way off the mark, Red!"

"Yeah, right, which is why you came crawling all the way to Scotland when you miraculously turned up human!"

Spike snapped his mouth shut, and averted his gaze from Willow. With his mouth drawn tight into a scowl, he sat back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest.

"I think Buffy's been through enough in the past few months, give her a break." Willow scolded before turning her attention back towards the passage she was studying prior to Buffy and Angel's visit.

Lily and Olly in the meantime, were surveying the other three, rather confused as to what they were talking about, and why their friend had suddenly stormed out.

"Um... sorry, but I can't help feeling like we're missing something here," Lily finally asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm completely lost," Olly agreed.

"Oh dear..." Giles mumbled as he massaged the bridge of his nose.

"What? What is it?" Lily pried.

"Well... erm... Have you... have you noticed how we refrain from calling Buffy her real name when Angel is around?" Giles began.

"Yeah, we may have picked up on that..." Olly replied in a snide tone.

"Yes, of course you have... Well, it because... um... well..."

"Giles?" Willow interrupted.

"Yes?"

"Maybe it would be better if I take over?"

"By all means, please." Giles sighed in relief.

Willow grinned, and turned to the two teenagers, "I hope you're ready for a ride."

~o~

**So the Romani decided to pick on Angel again, hmmm...  
Maybe some of you guessed at why I decided to have Angel come back in another body now. If you haven't, well, just keep reading. ;)**

**I apologize for the over-the-top grappling through the skylight bit at the beginning of the chapter... if I may explain myself, I dreamed up the scene while listening to "Supermassive Black Hole" by Muse, and though utterly ridiculous, I just had to work it in somehow. Actually, maybe if you imagine the whole part unfolding while listening to the song in the background it'll seem more bad-ass and less giggle-worthy. My over-active imagination really makes me do stupid things sometimes!  
**

**The next few chapters have a lot of Buffy/Angel interaction in them, which I really enjoy writing, but stress over a lot because I want to get it perfect... *sigh***

**Don't forget to review! **


	20. Chapter 20: Feelings Better Left Buried

**Early update this weekend! This is an extremely short chapter so I'll definitely be posting another one tomorrow, but I have plans to go out, and there's supposed to be a gigantic snowstorm at some point during the day, so just in case I get trapped in a blizzard and have to figure out how to build an igloo to shelter myself from the harsh winter elements, at least I won't leave all you readers empty handed.**

**... Okay, so I'm actually not expecting to have to build an igloo, but public transit and bad weather is a horrible combination, so just in case I can't update until much later in the day, this is just a little taste to tie you over!  
**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

* * *

_"To send me blue valentines  
Like half forgotten dreams  
Like a pebble in my shoe  
As I walk these streets  
And the ghost of your memory  
Is the thistle in the kiss  
And the burglar that can break a roses neck  
It's the tattooed broken promise  
That I hide beneath my sleeve  
And I see you every time I turn my back "_

- "Blue Valentines" by Tom Waits

Chapter 20: Feelings Better Left Buried

Buffy hurried towards the food court in the mall, scanning the throngs of people sitting in the nearby tables enjoying their lunch. She had promised Lily that they would do their Christmas shopping together, and she was running late. After storming out of the bookstore the night before, Buffy had swung by the graveyard for an extra patrol before heading home. Spike's taunting had gotten her all fired up, and she needed to blow off some steam before she felt like she could possibly fall asleep. Unfortunately, her sweep of the cemetery had yielded nothing, and she headed home to toss and turn for a few hours before she eventually drifted off to sleep. As a result, she'd slept in later than she would have liked, and was now praying that Lily hadn't been sitting around waiting for too long.

Finally, she spotted her, sitting at a table in front of a coffee kiosk and she rushed over, dropping herself into the seat opposite Lily.

"I'm so sorry Lil, I overslept!" Buffy panted.

"No worries, Maddy" Lily replied with a grin.

"Oh good..." she sighed, "so where do you want to go first?"

"Actually," Lily began, sliding forward in her chair, "We need to talk."

Buffy studied Lily's face, she didn't seem to be upset, "Oh?"

Lily smiled reassuringly, then leaned into the table, towards Buffy. "Why didn't you tell Olly and me about Angel?" she asked.

Buffy frowned, she had felt guilty when she decided to omit her romance with the mysterious vampire that had saved her two best friends. At the moment however, while trying desperately to play Madeline Cross and hide her feelings, it had seemed like the best plan.

"It's not that I didn't want to Lil, please don't think that..." Buffy replied earnestly, "I just... I thought the fewer people that knew the truth, the better."

"The fewer people that knew what?" Lily questioned.

Buffy chewed her lip, "Who I really am... Angel... Angel can't ever find out."

"But why?" she exclaimed, "I mean, if you two were so desperately in love wouldn't he be happy to know that you're alive?"

Buffy sighed, and cast her gaze downwards. She knew it would be difficult to justify her decision to Lily, despite her brilliance, she was a hopeless romantic at heart, and Buffy knew that the saga of her doomed relationship with the ensouled vampire would tug at her heartstrings.

"It's not that simple Lily..." she murmured.

"I know, gypsy curses, and clauses... etcetera..." she rambled, "But I don't know Maddy, it just doesn't seem fair."

"It has nothing to do with fair Lily. I know it seems terrible of me, but I'm protecting him this way. He doesn't have to worry that he's putting me in danger by being around. It's better for both of us. He can keep making amends for his past, I can keep slaying, and we can watch each others backs."

Lily studied Buffy long and hard, there was a sorrowful expression on her face, and she exhaled sharply. "You're afraid if he knows who you are, he'll leave again."

"I never said that." Buffy replied hastily.

"It's all over your face Maddy, you think if he knows who you are, he'll leave and you'll never see him again."

A grim smile played on Buffy's lips, "I never could hide anything from you, could I?"

Lily smiled sympathetically, but said nothing.

"I tried pushing him away. I really did. I thought this new life was a chance to finally forget him, to move on... and then all of a sudden there he is, just like things were before... and it's so confusing because I'd convinced myself..." she trailed off, suddenly unable to speak the words.

"Convinced yourself that you didn't love him anymore?" Lily finished.

Buffy smiled sadly, she hadn't even wanted to admit it, but being able to discuss her's and Angel's relationship with someone who she trusted, and hadn't been around when the drama had initially unfolded; it was making it hard for her to continue lying to herself. "It makes it easier being Maddy. At least I know he doesn't love me back."

"How do you know?" Lily questioned.

"What?"

"How do you know he doesn't love you?" Lily repeated.

"That's ridiculous Lil, there's no way." Buffy scoffed.

"How do you know? I mean, you two were soulmates!" Lily sighed.

"Don't be ridiculous Lil!" Buffy groaned, the thirty-five year old woman in her was exasperated with the teenage point-of-view of her star-crossed love, however her nineteen-year-old body was causing her to get her hopes up, something she really didn't want to happen.

"It's not ridiculous, maybe on some subconscious or spiritual level, he knows who you are... maybe that's why he's sticking around, helping you fight." Lily continued.

"It doesn't matter why he's doing what he's doing. Nothing can happen between us, ever." Buffy stated. More to convince her teenage hormones, than to convince Lily.

Lily, looking crestfallen, swung her purse over her shoulder, "If you insist," she sighed as she rose from the table, "Now, let's get shopping!"

Buffy smiled, thankful that Lily was dropping the subject for the time being, "Where do you want to go first?" she asked as she left her seat.

"I need your help to find something good for Olly, you're always way better and getting him awesome gifts."

And the two girls disappeared into the crowd of bustling holiday shoppers.

~o~

**I didn't even realize until I was proofreading this chapter last week that I actually managed to time it so it got posted right before Christmas! It was completely unintentional, but I'm kind of impressed with myself, haha.**

**I'd also like to apologize for any spelling errors (in this chapter, as well as previous and future ones), I have the absolute worst spell-check in existence, it sometimes claims that words I know I've spelled right are wrong, and doesn't even give me other options for how other spelling errors are supposed to be corrected, so most of the time I just leave it if I think it's close enough and I don't have time to go hunting around the internet for a credible dictionary.**

**I know this is a mini-chapter, and doesn't really advance the plot very much, but the chapter I'm posting tomorrow has a lot more action in it!  
Until then!**


	21. Chapter 21: Reopening Old Wounds

**Update numero deux! I survived the snow squall, which didn't last nearly as long as the news let on... they really over-hyped this one. But anyway, you all get more story!**

**Also, I would just like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who's been reviewing on a regular basis. It really means a lot to me that there are so many people enjoying this, especially after all the time I took away from writing. Initially, I decided to start writing this because I had a couple of original story ideas that I wanted to start working on, and I thought a bit of fanfic would be a good warm-up exercise... but then it took on a life of it's own! I was very apprehensive about posting this, I thought it might be a bit too bizarre for most people's tastes, so thank you; I really look forward to being able to update every weekend because of you guys.**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

* * *

_"You speak your fears,  
Thinking in circles and checking what mirrors don't see.  
You live your life like a page from the book of my fantasy. "_  
- "Baby" by Warpaint

Chapter 21: Re-opening Old Wounds

Pacing anxiously in front of the cemetery gates, Buffy kept a keen eye out for any vampire activity, but more importantly, kept an eye out for Angel. She was worried that he'd been discovered during his sweep of the sewers last night after he'd left the bookstore, and was hoping he would turn up soon to ease her nerves. Her conversation with Lily that afternoon hadn't done much to calm her fears either. Admitting aloud that her feelings were beginning to blossom again made the fact that Angel was risking his undead life to get information for them that much more painful, she hated feeling responsible for his well-being. Just when she was positive she couldn't last much longer, she spotted him, jogging slowly towards her from across the street.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, I decided to check out another tunnel on my way here." he said as he finally approached.

"And?"

"Nothing." he replied.

Falling into pace, side by side, they slowly walked into the cemetery.

"How about last night?" Buffy asked.

"The same. But they have to be down there somewhere." he answered.

Buffy didn't respond, the thought of him poking around alone, deeper and deeper in the sewers worried her just as much, if not more, than it had the night before.

He still didn't remember much of anything prior to waking up; Angelus was long gone, so Angel had no idea what he'd been up to before Buffy had killed him. As for his current body, Giles theorized that he was disconnected from the demon, as it wasn't originally his body. Angel explained he would get brief flashes; a face he recognized, an area that looked familiar, but not much more. Though Buffy was relieved that Angel wouldn't have the guilt of a second demon's crimes weighing on his conscience, if he did find something, and someone recognized him, he would be at a disadvantage for hiding his identity.

"You really don't have to do this you know." she said finally.

"We're out of other options at the moment." he answered rather casually, he seemed to be un-phased by walking head-first into danger.

"But if you're discovered -"

"I'll figure something out. I've survived this long, I must be doing something right." he quipped with a slight grin.

Buffy looked at him, he looked nothing like the Angel she'd fallen for, but his eyes were unmistakably the same, even the slight twinkle they had at the moment, something she'd only seen on very rare occasions, and only after he'd left Sunnydale, and begun to find his sense of humour again.

She looked away, afraid of what may happen if she gazed too long.

"Why do you want to help us?" she asked. She knew why, at least she imagined she did, but Madeline wouldn't. If she wanted to keep up the pretence that she was in fact Maddy Cross, she wold have to continue to pretend she knew nothing of Angel's former life. She'd been reluctant to question him the past few weeks, lest her curiosity begin to make him suspicious, but she knew if they were to continue fighting together, it would only make sense that she get to know him. So far, Angel had been his normal self, and had refrained from asking questions. She knew it was probably for the best if it stayed that way, but for some reason Buffy was hoping it wouldn't – currently she was blaming it on the bits of Madeline's personality that were becoming ingrained with her own.

"Well, I don't know what else I would do really," he replied.

"But why here?" Buffy asked, "I mean, you fought on your own before, right? Why would you want to fight alongside someone sworn to kill your kind?" she found herself wondering why she'd slipped the last portion of that question in, could she be jealous of Angel wanting to help another girl? She shook the notion out of her head, and waited for his response.

"I didn't always fight on my own," he replied. He hesitated before answering, his expression was somber, "I... I used to help another slayer. One of the last ones called before the power was shared."

He fell silent, and Buffy didn't pry any further. She knew him well enough to know that he would volunteer the information if he wanted to. However, after a few moments of silence, he continued;

"She was the one that taught me to fight, to make amends for what I'd done in the past." he grimaced, "At the time, she was the only one who could see anything other than darkness in me." after another moments silence, he chuckled, "I must sound pretty morbid."

"Not for a vampire, no." Buffy quipped, looking up at him with a sympathetic smile. He returned it, then looked away with a far-off expression on his face. It was odd for Buffy to hear Angel talking about her in such a way. It had been so long since they'd gone off on separate paths, and Angel had come so far, found his own reasons to fight. She'd forgotten there was a time that Angel saw her as his redemption – or for her ego's sake at the very least, she'd pushed it out of her mind.

"She sounds like a good person." she replied. No sooner had the words left her lips than a twinge of guilt wormed its way into her gut. Here Angel was praising her, and she was blatantly lying to his face.

"She was," he agreed, "One of the kindest people I've ever met, and probably the best Slayer to ever live."

Buffy was thankful for the cover of darkness, as she was now blushing furiously.

Angel's expression suddenly changed, and he looked down at her with a smirk on his face, "But don't worry, you're not half bad for a beginner."

Buffy rolled her eyes at him, and they continued walking deeper into the cemetery.

"You still didn't really explain why you feel the need to help me."

If Buffy wasn't mistaken, Angel almost looked incredulous, "What are you talking about? Making amends, redemption... and so on..."

"Yeah, and you're clearly capable of doing all that on your own."

"But I woke up here, where there's a slayer. And maybe I'm tired of fighting on my own." Angel replied, there was a hint of defeat in his voice. Buffy frowned, and decided to drop the topic.

They were about to round the corner of a mausoleum when Angel grabbed Buffy by the shoulder and stopped her. She looked up to him as he peered slowly around the corner, then nodded in the direction they were about to turn. Buffy glanced around the mausoleum, to see three vampires milling about the base of the angel monument. Two seemed like the average lackey vampire, the third was a woman with flaming red hair.

"Looks like duty calls," Buffy whispered, reaching into her coat pocket for a stake.

"Wait," Angel interrupted, "The woman... I recognize her."

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked.

"I think... I think she may be connected with Dustin. We should let them go, I'll follow them and see where they lead me."

"Alright," Buffy agreed, tucking the stake back in her coat.

"You head home, I'll let you know what I find tomorrow."

"What? No, I'm coming with you!" Buffy hissed.

"No, you need to stay safe to fight whatever might be coming."

"Don't be stupid-"

"This is what we agreed on last night. I can try to blend if I get caught, you can't."

Buffy sighed in frustration, perhaps it was the guilt over hiding her identity, but she didn't like the thought of Angel walking into the proverbial lion's den without her. She knew however, that Angel could be just as stubborn as she could, there was no way she was going to be accompanying him while he trailed these three vamps.

"Fine. Be careful."

"I will," he replied, and Buffy slipped away.

What Angel didn't know however, as he slowly and silently crept along behind his targets, occasionally pausing for cover behind a tombstone or shrub, was that Buffy had not gone home. She trailed just a few paces behind him, intent on making sure he was not discovered. She knew she was being foolish, and quite possibly careless. She couldn't rationalize why she was feeling so protective of Angel, she knew he was more than capable of taking care of himself. It seemed the more invested he became in fighting alongside her, the more she felt obligated to ensure his safety.

She kept a safe distance as the vampires stalked along the outside wall of the cemetery in the opposite direction of the town with Angel trailing silently behind them. They arrived finally at the shoreline, where they disappeared down a steep embankment and into an old storm drain. Angel waited an extra minute or so, before creeping into the drain after them. Buffy watched from a distance until she was sure they had enough of a head start, before she continued her pursuit.

~o~

Angel followed the three vampires from the drain further and further into the sewers. They did not speak, and the flame-haired woman seemed to lead them. Suddenly, they arrived at a large hexagonal opening where the tunnels seemed to open up in every which direction. In the empty space where the tunnels converged, crates, and other debris had been piled together as makeshift chairs, and in the shadowy recesses of the tunnels there seemed to be what looked like small hap-hazard beds or sleeping quarters. As the trio entered the centre of the tunnels, a tall, intimidating vampire with dreadlocks stepped out of the shadows. The woman approached him, while the other two wandered off into one of the nearby tunnels. Dustin spoke with the woman, but Angel was out of earshot, he began to creep closer, careful to stay out of the light of the opening. Just as he began to get close enough to be able to make out some faint murmurs, he heard shuffling footsteps behind him, and before he had time to react, a hand clapped down on his shoulder with a chuckle.

"Well I'll be damned!" the voice laughed. Angel spun around to see a young looking man with dusty blond hair and a scruffy unshaven beard standing behind him. He grabbed Angel in a friendly embrace, "Where've you been man?" he asked, then began to drag Angel towards Dustin and the woman.

"Well, I, uh-"

"Hey! Hey Dustin! Chantal! Look who didn't get dusted by the slayer!" the vampire laughed.

Dustin and the woman, Chantal, turned towards Angel and his friend, both with a look of surprise and suspicion on their faces.

"Now how did you manage to pull that off?"Dustin inquired, folding his arms over his chest, and studying Angel with a certain amount of disbelief.

"I just kept my head low, like you said boss..." Angel replied, trying to sound as confident as possible, "I figured I'd stay away from here, just in case she followed me back or something, you know?"

Chantal's eyes narrowed towards him, and Dustin simply continued to stare him down intensely. The blond vampire simply continued to hang off Angel's shoulder with a goofy grin on his face.

"How thoughtful of you," Dustin drawled unenthusiastically, and took a step away from him.

"Wait," Chantal hissed. Dustin shot her an inquisitive look, and stopped moving.

Angel looked back and forth between the two, and swallowed unnecessarily.

~o~

Buffy had been watching the entire exchange from the tunnel where Angel had been discovered. She'd sensed the vampire just as she'd started into the drain, and had managed to slip into an alcove before she was seen. She would have staked him, but worried another vampire may have entered the tunnel during the attack, blowing both hers and Angel's cover. She figured Angel would sense the other vampire as well, and be able to handle it himself, but apparently she'd been mistaken. Instead, she was stuck watching helplessly from the shadows.

~o~

Chantal stepped closer to Angel, she studied him in silence, then inhaled deeply. "You... you smell different." she sneered.

"New cologne. Trying to impress the ladies, makes it so much easier, you know." Angel chuckled.

"You know that's not what I meant..." she growled, "You smell... clean."

"Well, I haven't been living in a sewer..."

"You have a soul!"

Dustin's eyes flashed yellow and his hand shot out, gripping tightly around Angel's throat. The other vampire backed off with a low growl.

"Is she telling the truth?" Dustin roared, mere inches from Angel's face.

"Of course not, boss, don't be ridiculous."

"You _do_ smell clean," he grunted, tightening his grip.

Suddenly, a stake came spinning out of the darkness, and impaled the blonde vampire standing apart from the group. As he exploded into dust, the other three turned towards the tunnel.

"Angel! This way!" Buffy called stepping out of the shadows.

Chantal growled and charged towards Buffy, Angel took the momentary distraction to wrench Dustin's hand loose from his throat, before striking him across the face. Dustin stumbled back with a snarl, then began to circle around Angel slowly.

"Well, at least I'll give you one thing, traitor" Dustin spat, "You brought me exactly what I wanted: the Slayer."

At this, Angel charged at Dustin, his game face on, knocking him back into the pile of crates and rolling into the debris with him. Straddling him, Angel only managed to land two solid punches before Dustin threw him off.

As Angel grappled Dustin to the floor, Buffy continued to battle with Chantal. She'd managed to push her further and further back into the opening, until she was almost through the mouth of one of the tunnels opposite of where Buffy had followed Angel in. Whipping her leg around quickly her foot connected with the side of Chantal's head in a powerful roundhouse kick. Chantal recovered quickly, then threw a left-handed punch at Buffy, which she'd barely blocked before she swiped her other hand in an attempt to claw at Buffy's face. Buffy managed to dodge her hand, then swung a punch at Chantal's face, before kneeing her sharply in the stomach and tossing her into the opposite wall. Using the wall for momentum, Chantal propelled herself back towards Buffy with a roar, but Buffy had already pulled out a stake, which with the added force of her attack, buried itself deeply into Chantal's chest. Still roaring furiously she exploded as the other vampire had done before her, showering Buffy in her ashes, and leaving her standing alone in the tunnel.

Buffy was about to charge back to help Angel, when she noticed a large leather tome sitting on a makeshift mattress tucked away in an alcove. Casting a quick glance to where Angel and Dustin continued to battle, Buffy rushed over to the tome, and scanned the open pages quickly. It wasn't written in a language Buffy knew or recognized, but it looked very old. Hastily, she tore the two open pages out of the book, and folding them haphazardly, stuffed them into her jacket pocket. She then turned back towards the opening, and sprinted towards Dustin. His back was momentarily turned as she hurried towards the two fighting vampires. Without slowing down, she stooped to pick up a large piece of one of the broken crates, and using all her force, swung it like a baseball bat at Dustin's head. He crumpled to the ground, clutching his right eye, as blood began to seep between his fingers.

"Let's go!" she shouted to Angel as she grabbed him by the arm and began to drag him out the way they'd came. Dustin roared in pain behind them, and didn't seem to make a move to follow, but Buffy didn't slow her pace, she wasn't risking Dustin finding out what she'd taken from the book. Angel seemed to struggle to keep up with her, but she refused to loosen her grip on his wrist as they exited the drain pipe and continued running down the shoreline behind the graveyard wall. She ran, pulling Angel behind her until the reached the end of her driveway, when she finally relaxed into a jog, as she quietly led him through the gate towards the back yard, and up to her bedroom window which she had left open a crack upon leaving earlier that night. Pulling it open wider, she hoisted herself through. "Get inside, quickly." she called to Angel over her shoulder. Once she landed safely inside her bedroom, she finally turned around and saw Angel stooped slightly, with one hand resting on her windowsill, the other pressed against his side, and blood staining his white t-shirt.

"Oh God... Angel." Buffy exclaimed quietly, and reached out to help him through the window. He landed gingerly on the other side, then leaned against the wall with an unnecessary sigh.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Buffy asked sheepishly, feeling guilty for dragging him the whole way while he was obviously in pain.

"You seemed pretty determined to get away..." he grunted.

"Sorry..." Buffy whispered, casting her eyes towards the floor.

"Don't be." Angel replied, and attempted to smile at her, though the result was more of a grimace.

"I'll get something to stop the bleeding," Buffy said, then crept quietly out of the room to the bathroom. She felt sick with a sense of déjà-vu. She took her time digging around under the sink for the first-aid kit as she recalled the first time Angel had been to her house back in Sunnydale. Running from the Three, patching up his wound, hiding him in her room overnight, the first time they... she shook the memory from her mind, and headed back to her room. Angel had moved over to her vanity, and was sitting in her chair, scanning the titles in her overstuffed bookcase.

"Read a lot?" he winced.

"When slaying doesn't get in the way..." she replied, placing the first aid kit down on her desk, and pulling out a roll of medical tape and a gauze pad. Angel nodded slightly and leaned back against the chair.

Buffy stood in front of him awkwardly, "I'm gonna need you to... um..." she held up the gauze as she trailed off.

"Right." he replied. He shrugged off his jacket, then carefully peeled off the blood-soaked shirt. Buffy immediately felt herself flush, and silently cursed Angel's soul for reappearing in such an attractive body. Holding her breath unnecessarily, she knelt next to him and pressed the gauze to his side. "Hold this." she told him. He placed one of his hands over the bandage, as Buffy began to tear pieces of tape off the roll, and press them firmly around the edges of the gauze. _It's just teenage hormones, it's __**just**__ teenage hormones_... she chanted inside her head as her fingers slid over his abdomen, however as soon as the last piece of tape was in place Angel shot out of the chair, gripping his shirt in his hand with white knuckles.

"Thanks." he panted as he pulled his shirt back on, "I guess I should get going now."

"Are you sure?" Buffy asked, rising slowly, "I mean... Dustin could've sent some of his vamps out to look for us, and you're hurt..."

"The sun should be up soon, I don't think he'd send anyone out... besides, I heal fast, I'll be fine by tomorrow night." he continued as he picked his jacket up off the chair and slipped it on.

Buffy didn't know why she was disappointed, after what just occurred, she felt like running away herself. Blame it on nostalgia, but part of her wanted to spend some non-slaying time with Angel. She moved over to the window and pushed it open. "Be careful." she said.

Angel sauntered over to the window and stood in front of her, "Thanks again for -"

"Yeah, no problem." she interrupted, looking down to her feet.

"Meet you tomorrow?" he asked.

"Sure, see you then." she replied, looking up at him again with a painfully fake smile.

Angel studied her face for a moment, he was clearly shaken by something. Buffy was sure it was the same feeling of déjà-vu that she was experiencing, however she also recognized a haunted and pained expression she'd seen on his face so many times once he'd returned from Hell and they'd fought to stay apart. "See you then." he repeated after a moment, then climbed out the window and disappeared into what was left of the night, leaving Buffy to wonder once more why Angel could possibly find it so hard to be near her.

~o~

Another mangled crate ricocheted off the stone wall of the open area where the sewer tunnels met, as yet another echoing roar filled the hollow space. A sparse number of vampires stood about the debris, awkwardly awaiting to duck another crate, however Dustin merely fell to his knees and dug his nails into the cold cement floor. "Chantal..." he growled. He pounded a closed fist against the ground, then stood, glaring at his minions. Dried blood was caked around his right eye from the gash the Slayer had given him above his eyebrow with the crate, it throbbed, though it had finally stopped bleeding, and it was only serving to worsen his mood.

A skinny, teenaged looking vampire stepped out of the shadows of one of the tunnels, holding in his hands the large volume Buffy had found earlier, "Sir? S-sir?" he stammered nervously.

"What?" Dustin spat.

"Th-there are some pages missing... they've been torn out." he continued, holding the book out like an offering to Dustin.

Dustin snatched the book from the fledgling's hands and ran his fingers over the torn strip of paper sticking out of the spine. As he scanned the page following the ones missing, a grin slowly spread across his face, "So she knows what's coming... this may make things just a little more interesting."

~o~

**First, I would like to apologize for my shoddy explanation of why Angel doesn't know anything about what's going on, even though it would seem like the vampire who's body he took over lived in Braebrook. I tried to re-write that paragraph a million times, and for some reason, although it makes perfect sense in my head, it sounds stupid written out. Oh well... I didn't want to complicate the whole Buffy/Angel situation further by having to create a backstory for a whole new demon. It wasn't really necessary for where I wanted the story to go, so a shoddy explanation is what you get.**

**If any of you are wondering, it was my intention for the scene with Buffy and Angel in her bedroom to sort-of mirror the scene in the episode 'Angel' after they run to Buffy's house from The Three. I figured it would be a good way to stir up some tension... hahaha ;)**

**Until next week!  
**


	22. Chapter 22: Into Thin Air

**I didn't realize what I was getting myself into when I decided to quote a song before every chapter... I had some songs picked out instantly, but for others... ugh! Searching through my massive library of music for 62 appropriate songs is going to prove a challenge I feel!**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

* * *

_"For every regret,  
I tell a beautiful lie.  
And I would die if you find out.  
I tell a beautiful lie every time that I  
Did not open up my mouth.  
All the same, it's a game,  
It's a play, it's a war,  
It's a shame that we're always fighting for."  
- _"Beautiful Lie" by Yoav

Chapter 22: Into Thin Air

"How could you have so foolishly followed Angel into Dustin's lair! What if he hadn't been virtually alone? You could have very well been killed!" Giles scolded Buffy. She was sitting at the large table in the bookshop with Giles and Willow, and had just finished recounting the events of the night before.

"Giles... how about we rewind that little tirade, and you remember that you're talking to a Slayer with about twenty years experience..." Buffy quipped, regarding Giles with an incredulous expression on her face.

Giles' brow furrowed, he removed his glasses to clean them, and released a small sigh, "Yes, of course you are... I-I forget sometimes Buffy." he paused, "You just look so darn young."

Buffy smirked, "It's okay Giles... Besides, it wouldn't be such a big deal if I died, apparently I just re-incarnate into a younger body now..."

"We have no proof of that." Giles corrected.

"Did you forget your sense of humour back in England?"

Giles scowled at her as he placed his glasses back on his nose, "At any rate, we can surmise that Dustin will either move further down the tunnels, or emerge completely. He could always feel that since you know where he's hiding there's no use anymore. You should be on guard for an attack."

"Oh I'm counting on it." Buffy agreed, and reached into her jacket pocket. "But more because I took this." she pulled out the folded pages she'd stolen from Dustin's book, and held them out to Giles. He took them, with an inquisitive look on his face, then after slowly unfolding them, looked them over.

"This is a very old language, I'm not quite getting all of the text. I think I have a book in my office that may be able to help..." he trailed off as he wandered up the stairs and into the back office of the shop.

"So, Angel is alright then?" Willow asked.

"Yeah. Or at least I assume he is, he ran off quick enough."

"What do you mean?" she questioned.

Buffy sighed, "I don't know Will... it was just so strange last night... I mean everything! Getting in danger together, nursing his wounds, the awkward potentially sexual attraction... it was just like-"

"Old times?" Willow cut in.

"Yeah," Buffy replied with a sad, yet dreamy smile, "God help me, I'm even acting like a teenager." she muttered.

"Buffy," Willow began apprehensively, "are you sure you're alright with not telling him who you are?"

"Maybe not, but there aren't any other options." Buffy sighed.

"It could be for the best – telling him, that is. I mean, you could get all that awkward sexual energy out of the way."

"You know it's not that simple Will... Things with Angel and I are never that simple. That's why it's easier to just have things be this way. It's... simpler."

Willow grinned at Buffy's awkward and rambling explanation; she could lead an army of Slayers into battle, but she couldn't deal with her feelings for Angel, "Maybe it's not."

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked.

"Well, you and Angel always seemed to have this sort of... bond. What if, on some level, he knows who you are? But he thinks he's just nuts because to him, you're dead. So it's just making everything that much harder and more confusing for him. But if you told him, he could stop being hurt and confused and everything would be fine!" Willow rambled, which made Buffy smile, she rarely had time for long discussions with Willow anymore and it felt nice. She just wished the subject matter could be different.

"You know that's not true. If he found out who I was he would hop on the first bus out of town." Buffy lamented as she slumped forward with her chin in her palm.

"I knew you still loved him." Willow sighed.

"What?"

"I never brought it up because I knew how much it hurt you to talk about it... but I always knew that you'd never really let him go."

"Willow..."

"I'm your best friend Buffy! And you may look like a completely different person now, but you're still the same person on the inside. I can read you like a book, and you know how well I read."

Buffy sighed, "It doesn't matter how I feel, because nothing can, and nothing will happen."

"But maybe it will."

"Willow? Are you forgetting something? Like say... a pesky gypsy curse?"

"I know but... have you never even thought once that maybe, just maybe this could be your second chance? That maybe that's why the both of you are back?" Willow asked. Having to speak in front of hundreds of University students had calmed Willow down considerably when she spoke, but Buffy could still hear a hint of the nervous excitement that so often coloured her speech way back in high school.

"Oh Willow," Buffy mused, "It amazes me that you can still be such a hopeless romantic after everything we've been through."

Willow never got the opportunity to respond, because Giles poked his head out from his office with the stolen pages gripped in his hands.

"It's incomplete." he stated simply.

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked.

"It cuts off... there... there should be more, was there more?" Giles pressed.

"I-I don't know. I guess there could have been... I was in a hurry Giles, I just grabbed what the book was open to."

"Oh dear... this is very bad, very bad indeed."

"We should have never let you go back to England, Giles, you've gotten all stuttery and British again." Buffy huffed.

"What does it say Giles?" Willow asked.

"Well, to paraphrase, it states that there is a dormant Hellmouth here in Braebrook-"

"Another?" Willow groaned.

"Yes, this may explain the steady influx of vampire activity, and increasing number of deaths here in Braebrook..." Giles hypothesized.

"So what's the bad part?" Buffy asked sarcastically.

"Yes, erm... it says here that the door between dimensions may only be opened by the Guardian, and that this Guardian lies dormant atop the mouth of Hell."

Buffy cringed, "Is this like an Acathla sort of deal?"

"I really couldn't say with what little information there is." Giles answered. Knowing that Angelus had been behind this, he had a sinking feeling they could be in for an encore of what happened last time he'd tried to open a portal to Hell, but knowing how traumatizing it had been for Buffy to deal with, he didn't want to confirm her fears before researching further.

"So is that what Dustin's doing? Trying to find the Guardian?" Willow asked.

"It must be, that's why he keeps looking for something in the graveyard... the Hellmouth must be in the graveyard somewhere, and they're looking for whatever it is that opens it." Buffy added.

"It would most certainly appear that way... unfortunately, without the rest of the passage, we have no idea who or what the Guardian is, or how it is to be called forth."

"Just means I'll have to do more sweeps in the graveyard until I find something." Buffy interjected.

"Well, as time consuming as it sounds, I suppose that is our only option at the moment." Giles agreed.

"I'm supposed to meet Angel tonight, I'll fill him in." Buffy continued. She had been hoping that averting the apocalypse wouldn't end up being one of her duties amongst all this confusion, but as usual, things weren't exactly going her way.

~o~

When Buffy arrived at the cemetery for patrol that evening, Angel was already waiting for her. He leaned casually against the stone wall, lost in deep thought, as Buffy approached tentatively. She was nervous to see him after the events of last night, and wasn't sure how to address him. She was certain something strange had occurred the evening before in her bedroom, and whether it was just the familiarity of the situation dredging up old feelings for the both of them, or whether Willow had a point about the bond they shared, she had a feeling if this continued on it's current course, it would do nothing more than strain their budding friendship. Nevertheless, she greeted him at the gate, and they strode into the darkness.

"How's your side?" Buffy asked as they wove between tombstones.

"All healed." Angel replied in a clipped tone, "Thanks, for patching me up last night though." he added after a beat.

"Anytime. Happy to... patch." Buffy responded awkwardly. One side of Angel's mouth tugged upwards in a half-smile, but it only lasted momentarily before they lapsed once more into awkward silence.

"Well, um, our little debacle last night may not have been a complete loss." Buffy continued.

"Oh?"

And she began to explain what Giles had discovered about the pages she'd stolen from Dustin while Angel was locked in battle.

"So that's why you literally dragged me out of there..." Angel teased.

"Exactly. See, not heartless, just determined."

A gust of wind rustled through the trees.

_Invoc ai..._

Buffy halted in her tracks and her body tensed. She'd heard something whispered in the wind, she glanced around, but could see nothing in the darkness.

"What is it?" Angel asked. His hands were balled into fists, as though he were ready to fight.

Buffy didn't respond right away, she just continued listening to the night, but another breeze blew around them, and this time there was nothing.

"I... I guess nothing. It was just the wind." and she continued walking.

"So this Guardian, it's in the graveyard?" Angel asked.

"It must be... it would explain what Dustin's lackey's were doing here last night. And even Saul – um, he was one of Angelus' guys..." Buffy trailed off, feeling guilty about bringing up Angel's darker side to him, but he showed no signs of remorse, as he still had no recollection of Angelus' most recent activities. "he mentioned that they were looking for something here as well."

The wind swirled around them again.

_Spiritele ancestrale..._

Buffy paused again. This time the hairs on the back of her neck and her arms were standing on end. There was something nearby.

"Madeline?" Angel asked.

"I... I keep hearing some..." she was unable to finish her sentence. A wave of fatigue washed over her, she fought to keep her eyes open, but it was as if they were weighted shut. She tried to turn, tried to peer through the dark cover of trees to find where the whispering voice was coming from, but it was as if she was trying to move through molasses. Everything slowed, and the edges of her vision began to darken.

_Restul..._

"Madeline?" Angel exclaimed, and the petite slayer's knees buckled underneath her. Angel rushed to her side, and caught her before she hit the ground. Laying her softly on the grass, he checked her pulse.

"Madeline? Can you hear me?" He whispered, yet got no response. He rose again, he could feel it now too, the energy that she was feeling. Raising his fists up into a fighting stance, he span around, making sure to stay close to Madeline's side, to keep her safe. As he turned, he came face to face with a tall slender woman, her dark hair cascaded in lose curls down her shoulders. Her face was set in stony determination.

"Somnul." she hissed, then opening her hand in front of her mouth, blew a midnight blue powder into Angel's face.

And everything went black.

~o~

Buffy's eyes shot open, and she found herself staring into the inky black sky. She struggled into a sitting position, still feeling groggy and sluggish, and peered through the tombstones surrounding her. She was alone. Completely alone, there wasn't a sound in the night. With her eyes downcast, she thought hard to remember why she had been unconscious. Her hand flew to her face... no, she was still Madeline, that hadn't changed. How long had she been lying there? And where was...

Angel.

She remembered now, she had been patrolling with Angel. Rising swiftly to her feet, she turned frantically, searching in every direction.

"Angel?" she called.

Her voice was simply answered by silence.

~o~

**My lovely Gypsy lady has finally resurfaced (insert suspenseful music here)!**

**If there's anyone out there reading this who can actually speak/read Romanian, I know I'm probably waaaaay off. I was using an online translator, and I know they are horribly unreliable, I would never use it for anything in real life but I figured for conjuring up fake Romani spells it would be fine!**

**Chapter 23 on the way.  
**


	23. Chapter 23:If I Should Die Before I Wake

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

* * *

Chapter 23: If I Should Die Before I Wake

A loud banging on his front door jolted Spike from his sleep. As far as he could tell it was still dark outside, so lying sprawled out on his back, he waited... and the knocking began again.

"Bloody hell..." he grumbled as he rolled out from underneath the sheets and pulled on a pair of pants. Padding to the front door as he rubbed his hand over his face, he had a pretty good inkling of who he would probably find on the other side. It had to be Buffy... or the Poof... or maybe Red, and they'd be spouting about the end of the world, and how they had to do something immediately. Spike found himself chuckling as he reached to unlock the door. For as many times as they've tried to expel him from their little Scooby Gang, they always came running back when the going got tough... He finally pulled the door open to find, as he expected, Buffy standing on the other side.

"What is it Lo-"

"Angel's missing." she blurted before he had a chance to finish his sentence.

"What?"

"I was in the cemetery, patrolling with Angel, and... and something made me pass out, and when I woke up Angel was gone." Buffy rattled as she pushed past Spike into the small home.

"Maybe he got bored waiting for you to wake up." Spike drawled sarcastically as he shut the door and leaned back against it.

"You know he wouldn't just leave someone passed out in a cemetery in the middle of the night." Buffy huffed.

"I know he wouldn't leave _you_ passed out in a cemetery in the middle of the night – but oh, wait, he doesn't know that you're you, now does he?"

"This isn't funny Spike. I think something might have happened to him." Buffy said exasperatedly.

"Well why in bloody Hell did you come to me about this most horrible turn of events? You know I don't really give a rats ass about the ol' Poof."

"Because I know that's not true. Plus you live the closest to the cemetery, and you have a car." Buffy quipped, resting her hands on her hips.

Spike studied this new incarnation of the tiny slayer he knew too well, with an expression of stony indifference set on his face. She was trying to put on a brave front, to fight his attitude with her own, but underneath he could see she was flustered, and genuinely worried about his Mentor. He sighed, when he'd found himself human again after centuries, he'd had hopes that maybe Buffy would give him another chance; but the older, wiser, more stable Buffy had turned him down. He'd pushed it out of his mind while they had been together; but he'd always known that if it came down to a choice between Angel and himself, that Buffy would always choose Angel, without a moments hesitation.

"Bollocks." he whispered, and rubbed his hand over his face again, "Lemme get some clothes, I'll drive us over to Giles'..." he grumbled heading back towards the bedroom.

"Spike?" Buffy called, as he flew past her. He turned around. "Thanks..." she whispered softly, letting go of the brave persona, and letting her concern show through.

He smiled grimly, "Anytime, Love."

~o~

The sun had already rose as the rest of the gang gathered at Giles' apartment. Lily and Olly arrived last, equipped with coffee for everyone. Lily placed one down on the kitchen table in front of where Buffy sat with her head buried in her arms. She peeked out over her forearm at the cup in front of her, the propped her head up in her hand to look up at Lily.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Just tired." Buffy responded with a weak smile.

Lily smiled sympathetically, and took a seat beside her, Olly followed suit.

"Alright, so we're all here... um..." Giles began as he paced between the small sitting room and the kitchen. Willow sat on the couch, chewing her lip nervously, and Spike leaned moodily against the far wall.

"You're positive this is Dustin's doing?" he continued.

"It's the only explanation. He must be trying to get the pages I stole back." Buffy replied.

"But it doesn't explain why you passed out." Willow interjected.

"They must've found another witch to help them. It was a spell, I know it. There was this voice, it was whispering in another language." Buffy explained.

"But who?" Olly asked.

"What do you mean?" Willow asked.

"Well, the other girl they used, she was from here... we knew her... so who've they got this time?"

Willow frowned, "I don't know... I guess I could go online, see if there's anyone who's been missing for a few days... but to use a spell effectively on a human being takes a lot of skill. Most of the witches around here couldn't pull something like that off."

"So you're thinking perhaps they've found someone more powerful?" Giles questioned.

Willow nodded apprehensively.

"This could be problematic... if they've found someone with a strong hold on magical forces, it could mean they're that much closer to finding the Guardian."

"Who's this Guardian character?" Olly asked.

"We'll fill you in later Olly, right now, we need to figure out where they would've taken Angel, and we need to do it fast." Buffy answered urgently.

"Well we're at a disadvantage there love, what with you being like Sleeping Beauty when Angel disappeared." Spike muttered.

Buffy growled under her breath in frustration, "Alright, you guys all stay here and brainstorm, I'm gonna go back into the tunnels, maybe I'll find a clue or something... or who knows, they could still be down there for all we know, and I can beat some answers out of them." she said rising from the table.

"You can't conceivably go down there alone Buffy, it's daytime! If they haven't left the sewers yet you'll be drastically outnumbered." Giles gasped.

"I'd rather be down there, then up here doing nothing!" she exclaimed, "I'll be careful." Buffy assured him in a more calm manner before she hurried out the door.

~o~

She was already halfway down the stairs when she heard Giles' door open again, and a set of feet begin to thunder down the stairs after her.

"Buff-Madd- Buffy! wait!" it was Olly.

Buffy stopped, and spun around to face him as he caught up to her.

"Let me come with you." he said.

"Absolutely not. It's too dangerous."

"But Giles is right, you really shouldn't go down there alone. Especially not if you've been up all night, and doing it irrationally."  
"I'm not being irrational." Buffy huffed.

"You are... just a little bit. But I'm not judging you." Olly argued with a smirk, "If it were Lily missing I would probably act the same way."

Buffy smiled sadly, "I'm still not letting you come. You can't defend yourself, and I don't want you getting hurt."

"What if I had a really, really, big weapon?" he grinned.

An image of Xander with his really big gun flashed before her eyes and she winced, but covered it quickly with a smile. "Maybe another time Olly, for now, help the others."

Olly pouted, "Alright, fine."

Buffy smiled again, and began to head back down the stairs, but Olly grabbed her and hugged her tightly. She was taken slightly aback, Olly wasn't incredibly touchy-feely most of the time, in fact, he'd only just stopped being somewhat awkward around her after discovering she wasn't the Madeline he used to know. However Buffy welcomed the embrace, and couldn't help being a little disappointed when he pulled back, holding her at arms length. She looked at him questioningly.

"You looked like you needed one." he explained with a shrug, "I'm sure we'll find Angel, and he'll be fine... so be careful and come back in one piece."

"I will." Buffy promised with one last smile, then continued the rest of the way down the spiraling metal staircase.

~o~

Angel's eyes fluttered open, he felt as though he'd just awoke from a long, restful sleep. He tried to stretch, but was surprised, and very confused to find himself bound tightly by chains, on what seemed to be a hard stone surface. He began searching his memory desperately... where was he? How did he get here? He thought hard about the last thing he remembered – the graveyard, he'd been with Madeline patrolling in the cemetery. He frantically looked around for her, but instead found himself alone, confined in what looked like an old crypt. Cobwebs hung thick over the ornate sconces carved out of the stone walls, and layers upon layers of dust covered everything else. Angel could only assume what he was tied down to was the lid of a stone sarcophagus. He struggled against his bindings once more, determined to free himself and run back to Madeline's to make sure she was okay, but he was tied too tightly, and his efforts seemed futile.

"Don't bother to struggle, Angelus... the chains are bound by magick." a calm and soothing voice came from behind him.

Angel tried to turn his head, to see who his assailant was, but his restraints were too tight. "Who's there? What do you want?" he asked.

A woman appeared beside him. It was the young woman from the cemetery, with the long cascading curls. "I am to put things right again, Angelus." she whispered to him.

Angel thought there was something eerily familiar about the woman, something he recognized but couldn't quite put his finger on. She spoke with a thick accent, it was clearly European, and it took a moment for him to place it. Once he did, however, if his heart actually pumped blood through is veins, it would have ran cold.

"No..." he muttered, "What do you want with me?"

She touched his cheek gingerly, almost apprehensively, and stared deeply into his eyes. Her expression was one of determination, but he caught a very brief flash of doubt before she spoke; "It is no matter to you, it will all be over once the moon rises tonight."

_"Cold shades of sanity,  
Are bleeding over.  
I broke apart the disguise  
The demon lives in the eyes, and underneath your breath.  
A softly spoken death..."  
_- "A Piece of Mind" by Finch

~o~

**Big cliffhanger, I feel kinda mean leaving off like this right before the holidays! I'm not sure if I'll have time to update next weekend, the next two chapters might be a little later than normal. Just hang in there, the next few chapters are worth the wait, I promise! Big developments between Buffy and Angel happening soon!**

**Just a side note, I hope no one thinks I'm being mean to Spike... he ends up having a way bigger role later on in the story, it's just not his time yet!**

**How about some reviews as an early Christmas gift?  
**


	24. Chapter 24:When the Clock Strikes Twelve

**And I'm back! Sorry for the delay, I was spending time with family for the holidays, and eating way too much food... my stomach now hates me. **

**Sorry if the formatting ends up looking strange or anything, I just switched from a PC to a Mac and I'm transferring all my files, but all I have in the way of a word processor right now is TextEdit. So keep your fingers crossed.**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

* * *

Chapter 24: When the Clock Strikes Twelve

Buffy rushed through the maze of underground tunnels with reckless abandon. She was too desperate to care about the element of surprise, she would simply lash out, and stake anything she saw in her way. Her footfalls thundered in the hollow atrium, and as she slowed to a halt she could plainly see that it was empty. There was no trace that anyone had ever been there, except for the debris from her's and Angel's fight against Dustin and Chantal. "Shit..." Buffy swore under her breath, then in frustration, kicked aside a large hunk of wood sitting by her foot. She would have to try and discover where Dustin and his clan were hiding now, and being without Angel would make it that much more difficult. There were only so many abandoned warehouses and factories in the small town, and the vampire population was becoming increasingly crafty with their hiding places since Buffy had come into the picture.

Raking a hand through her hair in exasperation, she trudged down the tunnel where she'd discovered the book. It was now empty, and with the makeshift bed gone, it now just looked like a dank sewer alcove. However Buffy spotted something she hadn't noticed the previous time, being in such a hurry. It was very faint, and the dim lighting made it even harder to see, but scribed into the grimy asphalt she could make out the slight remnants of a chalk drawing. It was too faded and smudged for Buffy to make out what it was, however she'd been friends with Willow for long enough to assume that it was likely used in a spell. Kneeling down to get a closer look, she discovered dark spatters of what could only be dried blood, and she knew her deduction was most likely right as her thoughts immediately flew back to Katarina Petrov. She may not have found Angel, but she may have found what Willow needed to discover the rest of Dustin's plan.

~o~

It was times like this that Angel was glad to be undead. He was sure had he still been human he would be extremely hungry and thirsty on top of being extremely uncomfortable. He was sure his nerves, however, were just as shot as any mortal man's would be, as he watched his silent and graceful captor lay large delicately embroidered handkerchief down on the small altar beside him, before placing a small wooden box on top of it. He could only assume that if the Romani were after him, it concerned his soul; a fact which made him very uneasy. He wondered how they had found him, especially since he no longer looked like the Angelus that had tormented their tribe over a hundred years ago, but he assumed that questioning the young woman would yield no answers. He soon realized however, that he wouldn't need any answers, and that his fear was fully justified as the woman opened the small box to uncover a small glass-like orb nestled delicately on a velvet cloth inside. The gypsy woman began to chant, and Angel gave one more futile attempt to struggle against his restraints.

~o~

When Buffy had finally finished searching the tunnels thoroughly and returned to Giles', it was nearly dusk. The group had moved from his apartment, to the more spacious bookstore below. All were deeply engrossed in a different book, intent on uncovering whatever they could about the Guardian, and Dustin's plans before they may have to relinquish the pages that gave them their lead. All heads looked up from their volumes as Buffy burst through the door.

"I found something." she panted. The store was silent save for a faint murmur coming from the small cash counter where Willow sat with her eyes closed, over a map of the city.

"Is Angel alright?" Lily asked hopefully.

"I didn't find him, but I found something else... I think I know where Katarina Petrov was killed... there were remnants of a spell, or something... a chalk drawing on the floor." she sputtered as she plunked herself down in a chair at the table.

"What was the drawing of?" Giles asked.

"I couldn't make it out... but I thought maybe if Willow came to take a look at it with me... what is she doing anyway?" she rambled.

"She's, um, trying to discover if there are any locations in town high in magical energies. She feels it may point to whomever is helping Dustin, or holding Angel."

Buffy nodded, and leaned over the table, "Good..."

"So you believe this drawing could be connected to Katarina?" Giles inquired further.

"It's logical, I guess... it was in the same area that I'd found the book. There was also blood on the ground... so..." she trailed off upon seeing the expression on Lily's face.

"She died in the sewers? Poor Katarina..." Lily murmured.

"There are worse ways to die, Pet, if it was vampires that had her I'm sure it was over quickly." Spike yawned from the other side of the table.

"You're just a ray of sunshine aren't you?" Olly scoffed, looking up from the sizeable book in front of him.

"Sod-off pipsqueak."

"Spike!" Buffy barked.

"Sorry Mum." Spike taunted.

"It amazes me sometimes that you're the oldest person in this room."

"Well, I'm sorry that I wasn't blessed with a shiny new body like yourself."

"Do you have an off switch?"

"No, but I remember you did at one point..."

"Don't even go there Spike!"

"Or what? You'll kick my ass?"

"I would, but then I'd feel guilty if you broke a hip!"

"Hey, I'm not that old you slag!"

"Guys!" Willow shouted from the cash counter, silencing Buffy and Spike's bickering. Everyone turned to the sorceress, she was tense and her face pale. She wore an expression of both shock and fear.

"Will, what is it?" Buffy asked quietly rising from her seat, and crossing the room towards her friend.

"There's some very powerful energy coming from the cemetery... the Ellington crypt..." she whispered.

"Dustin?"

"I... I don't think so Buffy..." Willow stammered. Whatever she was picking up had shaken her greatly, her breath was short and shallow.

"Will, talk to me, please, you're scaring me." Buffy coaxed.

"It's magic I've felt before... Gypsy magic. It's Romani" Willow gulped.

Realization hit Buffy like a wall of bricks, and the fear that had clawed at her heart upon waking up in the graveyard was now crushing it. Without even another word she flew out of the shop as the last wisps of daylight left the evening sky.

~o~

Angel screamed in pain as the small orb began to glow. His insides felt as though they were being shredded, and in his mind he was back in the alley outside his small basement apartment in Sunnydale, the night of Buffy's seventeenth birthday. He struggled to hold on to his swimming consciousness, he knew if he blacked out it would all be over. He couldn't let Madeline face whatever demon had controlled this body before he was thrown into it, he had no idea what kind of monster it could be. Would it be like Angelus? Would it torture Madeline and her friends psychologically? Would it slaughter them brutally and painfully? He thought of Giles and Willow having to face him as a monster yet again, and dreaded wondering what would possibly be in store for Spike, now that he was human once more.

The chanting continued, and another scream left Angel's lips as the wave of pain began to grow.

~o~

Buffy's feet thundered down the pavement as loudly as her own heart was pounding in her ears. Her mind was racing, she couldn't comprehend why the Romani would be here in Braebrook, let alone why they would be after Angel again. He was ensouled, and continuing to make to make amends for his past, she didn't understand what they could possibly want. As Buffy reached the cemetery, she was running so fast she felt as though her legs would give out from under her at any moment, but she didn't dare slow her pace. The Ellington crypt was near the far end of the cemetery, and panic continued to grow inside her as she wondered if she was running out of time.

~o~

Angel knew he was nearing his limit as the edges of his vision began to blacken. The pain was excruciating now, he wondered how he'd been able to hold on for as long as he had. The young Gypsy woman's brow glistened with sweat, and frustration was clearly written on her face, yet she didn't give up, and continued to chant. Angel gritted his teeth as the pain grew once more. He squeezed his eyes shut, he didn't think he could take much longer, he felt himself beginning to slip away, and so he stopped fighting the pain, and let his mind begin to drift.

~o~

Branches whipped past Buffy's face, and snagged at her clothes as she flew through the older and more overgrown part of the large cemetery. As she came up to the Ellington Crypt, nothing looked amiss, and she wondered if she were too late. With all her momentum behind her she ran at the large steel door of the mausoleum, and leaping into the air kicked it wide open. Landing gracefully inside, she discovered Angel, chained and unconscious on the top of a sarcophagus, and an exotic young lady kneeling on a nearby altar, in front of her a small orb glowing. Upon Buffy's interruption, the woman stopped chanting and jumped to her feet. Frozen in shock, she stared at Buffy, and the light dissipated in the small orb. As the orb dimmed, Angel's eyes shot open wide, and he gasped. Buffy circled the sarcophagus towards the young woman, but she countered, staying on the opposite side of Angel.

"Who are you?" Buffy growled.

The woman did not reply.

"Why are you here? What do you want with him?" Buffy demanded. But the Gypsy remained silent, instead of replying, she whispered something under her breath, and immediately vanished. Buffy regarded the empty space where the young Gypsy once stood in surprise for only a moment, before turning her attention to Angel, who still lay on the sarcophagus, his eyes wide in shock. Near his legs, Buffy spotted a lock, binding the chains, and using all her strength wrenched it open. As she began to loosen the restraints, Angel struggled to a sitting position, and began to shake the chains off his torso. She turned to him, he looked still in a daze. Without thinking, she lifted her hand to caress his cheek.

"Angel? Are you alright?" she asked softly.

He didn't answer immediately, he looked very much lost in his own mind, as if he were taking a mental inventory. Finally he turned to look her in the eyes, "Yeah... yeah I think I am." he panted.

Buffy knew that fear and worry was evident on her face, but she didn't care at this point. She didn't care what Angel thought, she only cared that it seemed she'd gotten lucky and made it to his rescue in time. "What did she want with you? I don't understand." she asked.

Angel shook his head, "I don't understand either... it felt... it felt like she was trying to take my soul." He turned to the small orb she'd left sitting on the handkerchief on the altar, "That orb there, that's an Orb of Thesulah, it's used to store the human soul..."

Buffy had known what it was the moment she'd seen it, but didn't say anything. She left Angel side, and crossed the room to where the orb sat. Lifting it out of the box carefully, she studied it, before wrapping it securely in the velvet cloth. "Well, if it's so important, we can't let her get it back now can we?" she stated, as she stuffed the orb into her coat pocket.

Angel grimaced, and swung his legs over the edge of the sarcophagus. Seeing the look of pain on his face, Buffy rushed back to his side, and slipped an arm around his waist, helping him to his feet. In turn, Angel wrapped an arm around her shoulders, clutching her tightly. A shiver went up Buffy's spine, she wondered if Angel had felt it too, but chose to ignore it, keeping her eyes focused on the ground at her feet.

"Let's get you home to rest, I'll take the orb to Giles or Willow for safekeeping." Buffy said. Angel gave no response, but she could tell from the way he was leaning on her for support so heavily that he was more than happy to comply. They left the mausoleum slowly, leaving the events of the past day, and hopefully the mysterious Gypsy, behind them.

~o~

Fumbling with the set of keys Angel had passed to her, Buffy finally managed to open the door to his apartment, and help Angel inside. She was surprised to discover that he actually lived on the top floor of one of the few apartment complexes downtown, as opposed to the small basement apartment he'd occupied years ago in Sunnydale. It seemed perhaps the years of living in that immense hotel in Los Angeles had an effect on his living habits. Whether the vampire who's body Angel had taken over lived here before, Buffy didn't know, and didn't care to ask, however scanning the spacious loft apartment, she felt the decor was very much in Angel's tastes, and immediately felt at home and comfortable. Angel slowly slipped away from Buffy's side, and weakly crossed over to the large leather sofa, collapsing into it with an unnecessary sigh. It had become evident on their walk over that the intense pain Angel had experienced was subsiding, but it had clearly drained his strength. Buffy moved to the windows, pulling the heavy curtains shut tightly, before following Angel to the couch. He had all but melted into its surface, as he reclined with his eyes closed.

"Are you sure you're alright Angel?" Buffy asked quietly.

He opened his eyes and turned to her. There was a strange and pensive expression on his face as he studied hers, "I'm sure." he replied, "I just need to rest."

Buffy nodded, then as she surveyed the apartment again cast her gaze towards the fridge. "Maybe... um, maybe you should eat something?" she suggested hesitantly.

Angel immediately averted his gaze, and shifted himself so his elbows were resting on his knees, "No. I... um..." he stammered. "I can wait."

Buffy nodded. Angel had always been hesitant to feed in front of her, she knew there was no way he would even consider doing so in front of Madeline, but she knew it was the quickest way for him to regain his strength. "I guess I should get going." she said, rising from the arm of the sofa, and turning back towards the door.

"Wait!" Angel exclaimed, and caught her wrist before she managed to walk away. Buffy turned back towards him, and stared at his hand gently wrapped around her small wrist. She was slightly surprised by his actions, he seemed to be as well, for after a beat he quickly released her, and balled his hand into a fist before dropping it to his side on the seat cushion. "Thank you... for coming to find me... you didn't have to."

Buffy shook her head in confusion, "Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, I am just a vampire... you have no obligation to protect me." Angel explained, his tone low. He looked uncomfortable, and Buffy wondered if this was an attempt to push her away.

"You're my friend, of course I'm going to protect you." she replied firmly, looking Angel directly in the eye. He returned her gaze just as intensely, something that made them both uncomfortable. For Buffy, she recognized the longing she'd hoped to never again see in Angel's eyes, and for Angel, he shivered at something eerily familiar he recognized in the young slayer's expression.

"I know you'd do the same for me." Buffy added.

"Of course I would." he replied almost instantly.

Buffy couldn't help but smile slightly, "I, um, I have a late class tomorrow, but I'll be at Giles' afterwards to let him know about this," she patted the orb in her pocket lightly, "You should be there."

"I will" Angel answered.

"Alright. Get some rest."

Angel nodded, and Buffy slipped out the door. Once outside, she leaned heavily against the wall and sighed. Tears sprung to her eyes, but she pressed her fingertips into her eyelids, willing them not to spill. On top of all the troubles she'd faced in the past months, the thought that Angel was now in danger as well caused her stomach to churn. As she turned to step into the waiting elevator, she silently swore that she wouldn't let anything happen to him, it was the least she could do for him with the massive secret she was keeping.

~o~

Dustin stood in front of the stone angel with his large book open in his hand. He flicked at the torn pages with his thumb and forefinger and growled loudly in frustration. Slamming the book shut he threw it violently down onto the marble platform with an echoing thud.

"God damn that Slayer!" he roared spinning around to face the two lackeys that had accompanied him this evening. What he didn't expect to see, however, was an elegant young woman walking slowly towards them. She wore a long flowing skirt, and bangles adorned her wrists. Her hair was dark, and hung in loose curls. Dustin eyed her suspiciously as she approached, seemingly unafraid by the three intimidating men.

"I would gather by your outburst, that you are having trouble with the vampire slayer." she called.

"Who the hell are you?" Dustin growled, narrowing his eyes at the mysterious woman.

"If you do not ask questions, I will help you get rid of your slayer." she replied calmly.

Dustin continued to study the stoic woman in silence as a magnificent sneer spread across his face.

"You have yourself a deal, young lady."

_"Fear, and panic in the air_  
_I want to be free_  
_From desolation and despair_  
_And I feel like everything I sow_  
_Is being swept away_  
_Well I refuse to let you go_  
_I can't get it right_  
_Get it right_  
_Since I met you "  
- "Map of the Problematique" by Muse_

~o~

**Dustin has a new ally... this could spell trouble!**

**Did anyone catch my sneaky reference to the Buffybot while Buffy and Spike were arguing? ;) And I've decided Angel should have a place with a nice view, no more basement apartments for the poor guy! **

**Stay tuned for Chapter 25!**


	25. Chapter 25: Something Old, Something New

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

* * *

_"Come as you are, as you were_  
_As I want you to be_  
_As a friend, as a friend_  
_As a known enemy_  
_Take your time, hurry up_  
_Choice is yours, don't be late_  
_Take a rest as a friend_  
_As an old_  
_Memory"_  
- "Come As You Are" by Nirvana

Chapter 25: Something Old, Something New

When Buffy arrived at the bookstore the following evening, Angel was already there, conversing softly with Giles and Willow. Willow's face was pale again, and her expression uneasy, Giles' was equally sombre. They all turned towards her as Buffy approached the table.

"You all look like someone just died..." she quipped as she sat with them.

"A-Angel was just filling us in on what occurred last night." Giles stuttered.

"It's lucky you got there when you did Bu-" Willow snapped her jaw shut quickly, and her eyes bulged slightly. Giles glanced at Angel out the corner of his eye, however if he'd registered Willow's slip-up he didn't let it show on his features.

"Well, if you hadn't been doing what you were doing Willow, I never would've known." Buffy interjected swiftly.

Willow cast Buffy an apologetic look before continuing, "So what do we do now? It seems the Romani aren't very forgiving people, I don't think they'll be giving up very easily."

"Well, they won't be doing much without this;" Buffy announced, pulling the small velvet-wrapped orb out of her pocket and placing it gently on the table in front of the others.

"Have you had that on you the whole day?" Angel asked as Willow lifted the bundle of velvet off the table, and unwrapped it with a small gasp.

"Yeah, so?" Buffy answered.

"What if she'd come looking for you? You should have left it somewhere!" he exclaimed.

"Um, Slayer." Buffy replied, pointing at herself, "I'm sure I can take down one little Gypsy woman." however Buffy's affirmation didn't seem to change the concerned expression on Angel's face.

"This is an Orb of Thesulah! They really were after Angel's soul!" Willow gasped.

"Yes, but why?" Buffy asked.

"This is extremely puzzling..." Giles wondered aloud, "Why on earth would the Romani try to lift a curse they themselves placed on you?"

"I'm as lost as you are Giles." Angel replied, "But I figure as long as we have the orb, I'm safe for at least a little while."

"Yes, I suppose you are quite right... perhaps Willow should hold onto it for safe keeping?"

Willow nodded in agreement, then wrapped the orb once again in its cloth and placed it gently in her purse.

"So, is this something we need to worry about? Or should we be focusing on what I found in the tunnels?" Buffy asked.

"Er, well, if Angel doesn't object, I think we should do whatever we can to gain some ground on Dustin, while staying on guard for this Romani sorceress, yes?" Giles looked to Angel, who nodded in agreement.

"So what are we working on here?" Angel asked.

"I think I may have found where Katarina was killed, there were markings on the ground that looked like a spell." Buffy explained.

"Maddy, if you take me down there, I may know a way to figure out what spell she cast for them... if there's enough of that drawing left, that is."

Buffy nodded, "We could go down tomorrow, during the day."

"I'll come too," Angel interrupted.

Buffy shook her head, "No. You need to lay low for a little while, we don't know when that gypsy is going to show up again."

"The tunnels are dangerous, you shouldn't be down there alone." Angel argued.

"We'll be okay Angel. I can take care of myself, and so can Willow. You need to worry more about keeping yourself safe." Buffy answered.

Angel looked apprehensive, but didn't press the matter further.

"Well, if we've figured out what our next move is, I have a stack of exams to grade as high as Mount Everest. Maddy, you want me to give you a lift home?" Willow asked.

"Sure, thanks Will." Buffy replied as she rose from her seat and hoisted her bag over her shoulder. Willow grabbed her purse, and they headed towards the door.

"Maddy," Angel called, rising from his seat.

Buffy stopped, and couldn't help but smirk slightly before turning around. He'd never called her 'Maddy' before, it was always Madeline. She looked back towards him but didn't say anything.

"Be careful tomorrow."

"I will," she promised.

"Meet you afterwards?" he asked.

"Same time, same place." she replied with a smile, before following Willow out to her car.

Giles regarded Angel silently as Buffy left the store, he recognized the expression he saw on Angel's face as he watched Buffy step into the passenger side of Willow's car and drive away. The look on his face became darker and more pensive as he pushed himself out of his chair.

"I guess I should get going as well,"

"Yes, very well then," Giles replied absent mindedley. Angel had only taken a few steps towards the door before he interrupted him. "Angel?"

"Yes?" he replied, turning back to the Watcher.

"I, um, I hope I don't have to worry about your, erm, your relationship, with Madeline."

Angel pressed his lips together in a tight line, he looked conflicted, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I, er, I just mean that you seem rather... close." Giles continued awkwardly. He felt as though he were lecturing the vampire, something that felt odd to him considering Angel was far, far older than himself.

"I... I... no, it's not like that at all Giles." Angel stammered, causing Giles to cock an eyebrow in disbelief. "She's a good kid, I'm just protective I guess..." he continued.

"Yes, she is." Giles agreed, "Which is why I want to make sure that she isn't going to have any more... complications... in her life than absolutely necessary."

Angel shook his head, almost violently in comparison to the vampire's normal composure, "I swear Giles. After Buffy..."

Giles felt immediately guilty for bringing the subject up as Angel's voice broke when he spoke her name. He was visibly fighting tears as he continued, "I couldn't... I couldn't."

Giles cast his eyes towards the floor, "Of course, I understand Angel. I'm sorry."

"It's alright, I don't blame you for wanting to scold me." Angel smirked after he regained his composure.

The corner of Giles' mouth twitched in a slight grin at his attempt to lighten the situation, he had certainly changed over the years. He turned back towards the door.

"It's hard on me as well, you know. Having Madeline here... I think about her too."

Angel glanced back one last time, his tortured eyes filled with loss, "I know you do." and he left the shop.

Giles exhaled a sharp breath he hadn't been aware that he was holding in. He sunk back down into his chair, and tossed his glasses on the tabletop, rubbing his eyes. He thought of going upstairs to brew a pot of tea and making it very, very Irish, and prayed to whatever Powers might be listening that Buffy never hear of the exchange that just occurred. He was hoping this time around he would be knocked unconscious on her account a lot less, and he knew this wouldn't help.

~o~

**I thought the Nirvana lyrics would be fitting in light of Angel and Giles conversing.  
As far as their relationship goes in the little world I've created here, it's been 18 years since Angelus killed Jenny Calendar, and I feel that Giles would be able to bury the hatchet. However, I still think he'd be weary about Buffy and Angel getting romantically involved again, and would probably use the fact that Buffy is trying to hide her identity as a justification for warning Angel.**

**So, I've decided I'm going to post a third- yes, THIRD chapter today! I'm still in the holiday spirit, plus I didn't want to post Chapter 26 and 27 together at the same time, you'll see why once I post them... **


	26. Chapter 26: Deja Vu

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

* * *

Chapter 26: Déjà-Vu

A delicate glowing sphere of light floated above Willow's palm as Buffy silently led her through the tunnels to where she'd discovered the drawing. She'd been rather quiet since leaving the bookstore the evening before, and Willow was certain it was related to the recent events involving Angel. Willow had opened her mouth to speak multiple times since they'd began their long trek, but subsequently shut it every time. Angel was a touchy subject, and Buffy's renewed youth was making her extra stubborn when it came to her ex-love.

"It's right over here." Buffy announced finally, pointing to a smudge, smattered with red-brown droplets on the floor in a small alcove in front of them. Willow knelt, bringing the light closer to the tunnel floor in order to study the markings.

"You were right, this is definitely left-over from a spell of some kind."

"Is it enough for you to use?" Buffy asked.

"It should be." Willow replied, then closed her hand around the sphere, causing it to shrink and disappear, "Buffy, I know you don't want to, and I hate to sound like a mother... but you need to talk about this."

Buffy sighed, and sunk to the ground next to Willow, "I know Willow... I just... I just keep hoping if I ignore it, it'll go away."

Willow smiled sadly, and touched her friend's shoulder in comfort.

"It's getting harder Will, being around him. And now that he might be in danger...God, as soon as the word Romani came out of your mouth... my blood ran cold. I keep re-playing everything over in my mind, and wondering what would have happened if I'd gotten there just a moment later..."

"You need to tell him Buffy, if only for your own sanity."

"I can't. Not now. I-I couldn't deal with him leaving again, not now that I've remembered the way things used to be."

"I don't think he'd leave this time."

Buffy chuckled sardonically, "Come on Will, it's Angel we're talking about."

"I mean it! He clearly feels something for you."

"Don't say things like that."

"It's true. How can you think otherwise with the way he looks at you?"

"Stop, Will, please." Buffy begged, then began to chew the inside of her cheek as she felt a lump grow in her throat.

"I'm sorry... I just... you've been through so much- you're going through so much! I just hate to see you torturing yourself this way."

"I'll be fine. I'll be fine once we stop Dustin, and we figure out why I'm here." Buffy stated, though to Willow's ears it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself.

Willow nodded, Buffy's stubborn nature was something that definitely hadn't changed, "I'm going to cast the spell now, stand back."

Buffy stepped to the opposite wall, and watched as Willow knelt in front of the faded symbol, her fingers lightly touching the edge of the drawing and began to chant softly. The remaining visible lines of the drawing began to glow silver, then began to spread, filling in what looked to be a circle encompassing an intricately drawn trinity knot. From the centre of the circle, thin ribbons of smoke began to rise slowly, swirling in a non-existent breeze. Buffy and Willow both watched in wonder as the smoke swirled faster and faster, before shaping into a beautiful angel, its arms and wings outstretched. Willow's fingertips broke connection with the outline, and the symbol disappeared, taking the angelic figure with it. She turned to Buffy, confusion clear on her face.

Buffy's brow was furrowed in concern, and she was breathing heavily.

"I don't know what to make of it Buffy, I'm sorry." Willow said.

"No. It's alright. I know exactly what it is... We've either just found where the Guardian or the Hellmouth is located."

Willow swallowed hard, "Are you sure?"

Buffy nodded confidently, then slipped her cell phone out of her pocket to check the time. "Damnit. I have to get to class, can you go to Giles, let him know what we found?"

"Yeah, no problem. Let's go."

And they hurried back to the mouth of the tunnel.

~o~

Buffy had trouble concentrating in class the rest of the day. Her mind kept wandering back to the stone angel in the graveyard, and what kind of significance it held in relation to the Hellmouth and the Guardian. When she returned home from a study session with Lily and Olly, she was somewhat relieved to find a note from her father saying he had to work late. She hadn't been spending much time at home lately, which she felt guilty for, but in her current distracted state, she was happy to not have to feign happiness over dinner. Kicking off her shoes rather unceremoniously, she wandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Grabbing a piece of leftover pizza she ate it quickly as she dragged her schoolbag down the hallway to her room, intent on at least getting an hour's work done on one of her papers before heading out to patrol. Upon opening the door to her room, she discovered her plans would be delayed, as Angel stood in front of her bookshelf, deeply engrossed in one of her books. He turned to look at her as she stood in the doorway, and closed the book, but kept it clutched to his chest.

"Hi." he said.

"Hi..." she replied, before turning her attention to the small leather volume in his hands; it was a copy of _Sonnets from the Portuguese _by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Buffy's heart sank into her stomach, remembering her eighteenth birthday when he'd given her a copy of the same book. She had held onto it for so long, brought it everywhere with her, it pained her now to realize that it must still be all the way in Thailand where she'd died.

"It was my mother's..." she said quietly, nodding towards the book in his hand. She flopped down on her bed, and cast her gaze on the framed photograph on her dresser. Another thing she hated about being reincarnated; having the memories of losing a mother not once, but twice.

"Oh." Angel replied, placing the book back on the shelf, "I gave the same book to someone once... as a gift."

Buffy swallowed hard, then focused on picking at the threads of her bedspread. Angel looked over to her dresser, then after taking a few steps towards it, picked up the photo of Madeline and her mother. "She was a beautiful woman." he said gently.

"I know. Thank you."

He placed the photograph back on the dresser, then turned to lean his back against it casually, his hands now stuffed deeply into the pockets of his coat. Buffy still refused to look up from her bedspread, maybe Willow was right, maybe it was too much to keep the truth from him...

"I, um..." she began, then looked up to meet his eyes. Angel stared back at her intensely, then nodded slightly to urge her on. His eyes were tortured, the way she remembered them, it was clear that finding the small book of sonnets had stirred up memories he would have rather forgotten. Buffy swallowed again before continuing, "If you don't mind my asking, I was wondering why that Gypsy woman was so interested in you." she lied. She couldn't do it. She'd lived this lie long enough now, she knew it would only cause more devastation to reveal the truth.

"Well, I don't really know why she's interested in me, but I do know why her people, the Romani, are."

"Why?" Buffy asked. She knew, of course, but if she were going to continue this facade, she would have to feign ignorance when it came to Angel's past.

He sighed, then wrung his hands together as he paced over to the windowsill, "It was about a hundred and fifty years ago... in Romania... there was this girl; young, beautiful, not the most intelligent thing... but a favourite among her clan. And I drove her mad. Then I killed her." he retold as he stared out Buffy's bedroom window. His voice was low and monotone, full of self-loathing. "The Gypsy elders of her clan decided to punish me for my crime, so they cursed me and restored my soul. Since then I've had to walk the earth with the burden of what I've done. Not only to that young gypsy girl, but to everyone that came before her as well."

Buffy stared at Angel's back, silhouetted against the midnight sky. She'd heard the story before, but it didn't seem to get easier to hear with time, "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Why?" he asked, turning back towards her, "I deserved it."

"Deserved to be tortured by the actions of a monster who wore your face? No, I don't think that's a just punishment for anyone."

Angel smiled grimly, "If you'd known me when I was human, you probably wouldn't say the same thing."

"I don't care who you were when you were human. The past doesn't matter. It's what you do now, it's who you are now that matters. And I don't think someone who devotes their life to keeping innocent people safe deserves that kind of guilt." Buffy argued as she slid off the bed, and joined Angel in front of the window. He studied her face carefully, as if he were trying to decide if she were lying.

"I... I, um, I came over to make sure you and Willow managed all right in the tunnels today." he said abruptly. Buffy blinked a few times in response to the sudden change of topic, but didn't answer. "I guess I was kind of worried about you two." he admitted, almost sheepishly.

Buffy grinned, "I told you to stop worrying, we made out just fine! How about we head over to the cemetery, I'll fill you in on the way."

"Sure." Angel answered, and moved to hoist himself through the window.

"Um, my Dad's still at work... we can use the front door if you want." Buffy teased.

Angel turned around, looking slightly embarrassed, if it were at all possible, "Yeah, that sounds more convenient."

Buffy chuckled softly as she led him out of her room to the hallway.

~o~

The quiet street was filled with the sound of laughter as Spike stumbled out of the bar with a statuesque woman hanging off his arm. He had to admit, though being human again definitely had it's disadvantages, he was quite happy to be back in the dating game, it never ceased to amaze him how many girls fell over themselves for a British accent.

"It was nice to meet you, Will," the woman said as she threw her long, shining raven-black hair over her bare shoulder with a flick of her wrist, "you're a breath of fresh air in a small, tired, town like this."

"Oh stop, you're makin' me blush." Spike teased, taking her hand in his own and planting a gentle kiss on the back of it. Girls went wild for those sort of things, he found, it seemed that the modern man had forgotten what chivalry was.

"No, I mean it. Nothing exciting ever happens here, it's so nice to meet someone who's done as much as you have!" she exclaimed with a twinkle in her dark almond-shaped eyes.

"You're too kind, Katsumi, really."

She smiled flirtatiously at him, "Well, I really should get going, it's late."

"Yes, of course."

"I'll see you." she replied, then slowly let go of his hand and sauntered away, turning down the alley next to the bar. Spike grinned goofily as he watched her leave, before it dawned on him that he'd forgotten to ask for her phone number. He quickly launched into a sprint, as he turned down the alley.

"Hey, Katsumi!" he called. The alley was dark, and without his vampire abilities, it was difficult to see. "Katsumi?"

"Yes?" she called.

She wasn't too far away, but Spike had trouble making her out in the darkness, "Well, I... it just occurred to me that I don't have your number. I was thinkin' we could meet up again next weekend." he said as he stepped carefully towards her. She giggled.

"Why wait until next weekend?" she asked in a sultry tone.

Spike grinned like a fool, "Well, I didn't want to be too forward, but-"

He trailed off, he could have sworn her heard a quiet growl. Before he had time to confirm what he'd heard, Katsumi leaped out of the darkness, eyes glowing yellow, and sank her fangs deeply into the side of Spike's throat. He fell to the ground, paralyzed with shock, until the shooting pain coursing down his shoulder and up into his head snapped him out of it. He tried to push the vampire off him, but he was too late, she'd already drained him of too much blood and left him weak. After almost two-hundred years of living, there was no way he was being taken out by some newbie, albeit, a very, very attractive one.

"I don't think so, Pet." he wheezed, before tearing into her shoulder. He coughed and sputtered as her blood began to flow into his mouth, but she made no move to stop him, she simply continued to lap at the blood pouring from his throat, as he became more and more lightheaded, and the world went dark.

~o~

Buffy padded from her room to the kitchen early the next morning as she combed her fingers through her ghastly bed-head. Whenever a day rolled around that she had an early class, she always wished that the vampires of Braebrook would just take a night off. She shuffled over to the coffee maker, and poured herself a cup, inhaling the aroma deeply.

"... Police have no suspects for the time being, but noted that the victim had been entirely drained of blood, a detail which connects the death with an increasing number of..."

The reporters voice from the television in the next room broke Buffy out of her sleepy reverie. With her mug still held snugly between both her hands, she walked into the living room to find her father sitting on the couch, a mug of coffee in one hand and the television remote in the other.

"What happened, Dad?" she asked.

"Oh, 'morning sweetie... um... it's terrible actually... they found someone murdered this morning. It happened downtown- I hope you weren't at that bookstore last night, unless Olly drove you home that is... what is it Maddy?"

Buffy had stopped listening to her father speak as soon as a picture of the victim had appeared on the screen, her stomach churned violently, and her mouth fell slightly agape as she stared in shock at a picture of a platinum-blond man in his early thirties. "Oh god..." she whispered.

"... The victim has been identified as Doctor William Pratt, a professor at the local University. There were no witnesses, however..."

_"I took you home_  
_Set you on the glass_  
_I pulled off your wings_  
_Then I laughed_  
_I watched a change in you_  
_It's like you never had words_  
_Now you feel so alive_  
_I watched you change"_  
- "Change (In the House of Flies)" by the Deftones

~o~

**... Don't hate me.**

**Haha, seriously though, there _is_ a reason for this, I promise you! But you'll have to wait until next week because I'm mean and I like cliffhangers!**


	27. Chapter 27: Hello, Time Bomb

**Happy New Year everyone!  
Sorry for the delay, I was away with friends all weekend, but it works out anyway I guess, because I was a bit reluctant about posting two chapters this weekend (I thought it might lessen the impact of this chapter), and now it's late and I don't have time to anyway.**

**Just a few notes (I'm putting them at the beginning this time): I haven't had a chance yet to read the _Buffy_ comics, but I remember reading that the gang was working out of Edinburgh, Scotland. I decided to work it into the story since I visited Edinburgh a few years ago and absolutely fell in love with the city, I'd move there in an heartbeat... is it wrong that I'm jealous of a fictional character for getting to live there? )  
Anyway, I mention Mary King's Close in this chapter, which is an actual street that runs underground one of the main streets there. I didn't get to visit it, but I've seen footage of what it looks like, and personally i think it would be an ideal place for vampires and demons to hide out.**

**Finally, I highly recommend looking up (YouTube, or whatever) the song I've quoted at the end of the chapter, "Elephants" by Rachel Yamagata. It's an absolutely beautifully heartbreaking song. **

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

* * *

Chapter 27: Hello, Time Bomb

The gathering inside Giles' apartment was sombre, by the time phone calls had been made to get everyone together, they had all already seen the news, and were heading out to Giles'. Angel had even arrived, via the tunnels under the city. Buffy sat at the kitchen table once more, staring intently at her hands, which she had spread open palm-down on the flat wooden surface. Willow sat to her left, her lips parted slightly, and her eyebrows sloped in a shocked and worried expression. Lily and Olly sat huddled together on the love-seat, unsure of how to react, being new to the group, and Angel sat perched on the arm of the love-seat, disbelief etched into his features, but he was clearly lost deep in his own mind. An immense amount of guilt showed through his eyes. Giles was slumped in his armchair, his glasses resting on the coffee table, and his head held in his hand.

Willow was the first to speak, "You don't think it was Dustin, do you?" she asked slowly and quietly, fear apparent in her eyes.

Buffy looked up towards Giles, a pleading expression on her face.

"I really don't know. I-it's hard to say when it's just a simple vampire attack... it could have been completely random." he sighed.

Buffy closed her eyes and shook her head, "He should've known better." she choked.

They all fell silent again. There had been far too many casualties in the past few months, Buffy herself included. The group was exhausted, almost unsure of how to react anymore.

"Will there, um, will there be a service?" Lily piped in cautiously, "I-I mean I know he was technically almost two-hundred, but..."

"I was thinking of arranging something. At least to uphold the belief that he led a normal human life." Giles replied.

"We should." Olly agreed, "Do something, that is... I mean, he was a friend, right?"

The response was varying degrees of nods from around the room.

"I hate to be the one to bring it up..." Angel cut in, "But... what if he rises?" he looked to Buffy who was looking back at him, sickening realization written on her face.

"You don't think..." she trailed off.

"I really couldn't say."

"I'm afraid Angel has brought up a very valid point." Giles agreed. "Maddy, Angel, I suppose you don't object to keeping a lookout for him? As for the rest of you, I would suggest minimizing the amount of time you spend out of doors after dark. At least until we know for certain."

The dreary silence enveloped the room once more, as everyone began to contemplate not only the loss of one of their members, but the possibility that they may be hunted down by one of their own.

~o~

Later that evening Buffy and Angel strolled silently through the cemetery. The events of the morning still weighed heavily in the air, and they didn't talk much. Buffy didn't really know what to say to Angel. She knew he must be mourning Spike's loss, despite their rather tumultuous relationship they had known each other for over a century, but she didn't know how to address it. Especially when she was mourning him herself. Despite their quarrels, and their sordid past, she had become quite fond of the rebellious vampire. She could say with conviction that she wasn't in love with him, she never had been, but he held a place in her heart. He had proved a worthy foe, and a worthy ally, and as much as she hated to admit it, he had been there many times when she needed someone. It was bizarre to think now that she wouldn't hear another snide comment at her expense, that she'd never again see the mischievous grin that both made her want to slap him across the face and grin back. It had been so long that Spike had been a part of their gang, she'd forgotten what it had been like when he wasn't around.

Angel, on the other hand, hadn't given too much thought to how Madeline was affected by Spike's tragic death. Though he had found her reaction at Giles' earlier a bit odd, he was more focused on feeling responsible for the former-vampire's demise. Angel had always felt it had been his fault Spike was turned back into a human, and now the fact that he had become prey to another creature of the night was just more guilt to add onto the already roaring fire.

_After being informed of an new order of demon assassins wreaking havoc in the UK; Spike had caught wind that they were preparing to attack Buffy and her army of slayers, and demanded that he and Angel leave New York, where they had settled once the battles had ended in Los Angeles, and try to intercept them before they reached the Slayers' headquarters. Angel was reluctant, as he preferred to limit his interaction with Buffy unless absolutely necessary, and was certain that Buffy had enough support in place to handle the threat on her own. However, he knew if something happened to her, he would never forgive himself, so he found himself wandering down Mary King's Close, in Edinburgh, Scotland, skulking behind Spike in the dark. Suddenly, as they turned a corner, they found in their tracks a demon, dressed in full armour, its skin green, a faceted red jewel twinkling menacingly in his helmet. Angel immediately recognized it as a Mohra Demon, and retreated a few steps, but Spike, stayed rooted in place, giving the demon time to lash out with his sword, slashing Spike deeply across his forearm._

_ "Bloody Hell!" Spike exclaimed, before pulling out his battle axe, and growling menacingly at the assassin._

_ "Spike, I think we should turn back." Angel warned, as he watched the blood seep from Spike's wound._

_ "Or you could quit bein' a wuss and help me, you wanker!" he spat as he swung his axe a few times, clashing with the demon's sword. Suddenly, the demon turned and ran, but Spike followed._

_ "Spike!" Angel shouted, but lingered back a bit, as the sound of metal contacting metal continued to clang from around the next corner. Suddenly everything went silent, and there was a brief flash of green._

_ "Bloody Hell!" Angel heard Spike exclaim, and he rushed around the corner. Spike was kneeling on the ground, one hand clutching his chest, and taking long, gasping breaths, "Bloody Hell! What's happened to me... what's happened to me?" _

Angel wondered every day how things would be if he'd helped Spike kill the demon, or if he'd simply pulled the impulsive vampire out of there. One thing he knew for sure is that he would still be alive.

"Are you alright?" Maddy's voice broke through his dark thoughts. He turned to the small woman walking at his side, she looked deeply concerned.

"Yeah... it's just... a lot to process." he replied.

"I know." Buffy replied. She didn't pry further, she knew Angel well enough to know he had something else on his mind, but there had been enough serious discussions during the course of the day.

"I'm sorry. I know you two had a history." she added.

"It's alright... you get a lot of experience dealing with death when you've been alive as long as I have." Angel replied grimly.

"That's for sure. Especially since you were the one doing most of the killin'!" came a drawling cockney accent from behind them. Buffy and Angel stopped dead in their tracks, they both recognized the voice. Turning slowly, they discovered Spike leaning casually against a large tombstone, game face on, a cigarette dangling carelessly from his lips. "You know what else I missed about being dead? Smoking! When you're human it makes you all sickly and cancer-y... now it doesn't make a bloody difference!"

"Spike... why?" Buffy pleaded.

Spike grimaced, "Oh please, Love! You think I'm gonna let some rookie vampire make worms meat out of me? I've seen too much for that."

"You should leave town Spike, or else you know what's going to have to happen." Angel warned.

"And what might that be, Peaches?"

"I'm gonna kill you, that's what." Buffy replied.

Spike laughed almost maniacally, "That's rich comin' from you! You never had the brass to off me!"

Spike's allusion to her former identity made Buffy realize just how dangerous it would be to have Spike around. Before he could say another word she lunged at him, throwing a powerful punch to his jaw. His cigarette flew from his lips as his head spun violently to the left.

"Look what you did, now I've wasted a perfectly good cigarette." replied with mock disappointment before returning the punch. Buffy blocked it expertly before slamming him in the sternum with her forearm. Spike spun a leg out, swiping Buffy's feet out from underneath her and causing her to land square on her back, winding her. Spike loomed over her with a growl for mere seconds before Angel grabbed him by the back of his coat, and slammed him into a nearby tree.

"Don't touch her!" Angel snarled, as he pinned Spike against the tree by his throat. He managed to choke out a strangled laugh.

"And Prince Charmin' comes to the rescue of his Princess... it really is just like the old days!"

"Shut up Spike." Angel hissed.

"You mean she still hasn't told you?" Spike chuckled.

"Spike..." Buffy threatened, as she pushed herself slowly off the ground.

He chuckled again, "Oh, this is too good!"

In a blind rage Buffy charged at Spike, ripping him away from Angel's grip. She swung her leg around in a roundhouse kick, hitting him squarely in his chest and knocking him to the ground. Jumping on top of him she managed to land a few punches to his face before he caught her fist in his hand, and bending her wrist backwards flipped her onto her back. He landed a solid punch to the side of her head, leaving her reeling, as he crawled off of her.

"What rage! Now whatever could've caused that little outburst?" Spike taunted.

Propping herself up on her elbows, she squeezed her eyes shut as she felt a trail of blood ooze down the side of her face, she glared up at Spike dangerously. "Shut your mouth, Spike."

In the meantime Angel rushed Spike, grabbing hold of him by the front of his shirt.

"Patience Angel! Buffy and I are having a little chat!"

Angel froze on the spot, his fist poised in mid-air, ready to strike, "What did you just say?" he demanded quietly.

Spike simply licked a spot of blood from his split lip, and grinned.

"Spike..." Buffy growled, still crouching unsteadily in the unkempt grass.

"That's right Angel, old boy..." Spike chuckled, glaring down at Buffy as he continued, "the young Slayer you know as Madeline Cross... is really none other than the one and only Buffy Summers." he almost sung.

Angel shakily lowered his fist. If at all possible, he looked even more pale, "Stop talking nonsense Spike, Buffy's dead."

"Oh, come off it man!" Spike exclaimed, pulling himself out of Angel's grip, and clapping his hand down on his shoulder, "You don't expect me to believe you couldn't tell! _You,_ the love of her life...?" he grinned, "Even I noticed there was somethin' familiar about her, and I was merely human!"

Buffy lost the strength to try and stand. Her legs felt like they were made of jelly, her breath was short and shallow. Her ears began to ring as she looked up from the grass towards Angel's wide-eyed, shocked, face. He was unmoving, he simply continued to stare at Buffy sitting on the ground as Spike smiled maliciously at her, then back at Angel.

"You know I'm tellin' the truth. So much is makin' sense now isn't it?" Spike whispered to Angel, who still had yet to move a muscle. "Now, I would love to stay and watch this reunion, I'm sure it'll be very touchin', but I think you two would want some privacy, no?" Spike taunted, then turning on his heel, strolled jauntily out of sight.

Buffy felt sick to her stomach. She was warm all over, her heartbeat pounded in her head. Her body began to tremble as she continued to stare at Angel. He could have been a statue he was so still, and the expression on his face was so horrified, so hurt, that Buffy's stomach lurched again. Finally, he spoke;

"He's telling the truth, isn't he?"

"Angel..." she began slowly. Her throat was constricted, she could barely speak, "Let me explain-"

"Is he telling the truth?" he repeated shakily.

A lump began to grow in her throat, and she could feel tears collecting in the corners of her eyes, "Yes..." she admitted remorsefully, casting her eyes back down to the ground "It's me."

He squeezed his eyes shut and a small gasp escaped his lips. His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles were white. "How?" he choked. When he opened his eyes again they were flooded with tears.

"I don't know..." Buffy whimpered, "It was just like you... one minute I was dying, and the next... I wanted to tell you, I really did."

"But you didn't." he spat coldly.

Buffy opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Tears began to spill down her cheeks.

"I thought you were gone..." he whispered.

"I'm sorry... Angel, I'm sorry, I thought it would be for the best." she cried softly.

"How could it be for the best that I think you're dead?" he nearly shouted.

Buffy had rarely heard Angel raise his voice at her, and a sob escaped her lips before she covered them with her hand. "I-I thought it would make things easier." she explained as she shakily rose to her feet.

"Were you ever planning on telling me?" he asked.

Buffy swallowed hard, her mouth was as dry as the desert, "No..." she whispered.

He made a sound, like a laugh mixed with a sob, "So you were just thinking you could continue on with your new life, while I'm tortured by your death, is that it?"

"No! That's not it at all Angel!" she sobbed, "I thought it would be easier on you to stay here and fight if you didn't know you were fighting alongside me! I thought it would make it easier for both of us to forget the past and ignore how we feel!"

"Well it didn't work because I felt the same anyway!"

Buffy was taken aback by Angel's confession, "Wh-what?"

A sorrowful smile played on his lips, and he tilted his head up towards the sky, "You're still you, Buffy... I started to fall in love with you again anyway," he wept.

Buffy felt her lip tremble as her tears began to fall again.

"And I hated myself for it. I hated thinking that I could love someone else as deeply as I loved you. I hated that you were gone and I was starting to feel that connection with someone else... and now I find out I was just re-living the past and fighting my feelings for you all over again."

"Angel..." Buffy took a step towards him, her tears still glistening in her eyes. He raised a hand to stop her, and she regarded him with a bewildered and slightly panicked expression.

"Don't." he said, "I..." he paused for a while, his eyes searching the graveyard, focusing on anything other than the girl standing before him. "I need to think.". He turned slowly and began to walk away, his face a mask of betrayal, and his eyes pouring over with pain.

"Angel, wait, please!" Buffy begged.

He kept walking, he made no move to glance back at her.

"Wait..."

She sunk to her knees again, as she was left alone in the cemetery, only the sound of the wind moaning through the trees answered her calls.

_"If the elephants have past lives,  
Yet are destined to always remember,  
It's no wonder how they scream,  
Like you and I, they must have some temper. "  
- "Elephants" by Rachael Yamagata_

_~o~_

**_Until next week._**


	28. Chapter 28: The Blues From Down Here

**Early update this weekend!  
I have a going away party to go to tonight for a friend who is moving away to Europe next week and I'm anticipating that I probably won't be in any shape to edit any chapters tomorrow... so here are my updates! Unless while editing I decide there's another chapter that stands better on its own, I'll be back to two chapters a week. **

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

* * *

"_Congratulations on the mess you've made of things,  
On trying to reconstruct the air,  
And all that brings"  
_- "DLZ" by TV on the Radio

Chapter 28: The Blues From Down Here

Willow stepped out her front door early the next morning with a small yawn. It had been a rough night after hearing of Spike's death, and when she was woken by her alarm she found she felt like she'd barely slept a wink. Juggling her briefcase, and a thermos of coffee, she pulled her keys out of her pocket and turned to lock the door when she discovered Buffy, curled up in a ball on her porch swing, fast asleep. She placed her things near the stairs, and crossed the porch to where Buffy lay. She looked troubled, even in her sleep. Her face was blotchy and streaked with what Willow could only assume were tears, and dried blood was smeared across her temple from a small cut on the side of her forehead. With a frown, Willow knelt and gently placed her hand on Buffy's shoulder.

"Buffy?" she said softly.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she sat up, looking disoriented for a brief moment.

"What are you doing out here?"

"I didn't want to wake you... it was late..." Buffy muttered.

"You know I wouldn't have cared... what happened?" Willow asked.

Buffy looked down to her hands, folded in her lap, when she looked back at Willow her eyes were filled with tears again, "Angel... he knows." she whispered.

Willow's heart sunk, judging from her friend's current state, Angel had not been thrilled by the revelation that his lost love was still amongst the living. "Oh Buffy... how?"

"Spike."

Willow's brow furrowed, "Spike? But he..." realization dawned on Willow, and a small nod from Buffy confirmed her thoughts. "No..." she gasped.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Did you...?"

"No. He effectively blew my cover and then flew the coop." Buffy moped.

Willow frowned, "And Angel didn't take it well?"

Buffy's lip began to quiver again. "Oh Will, he looked so betrayed! And then he... he just left..."

Willow moved to sit beside the forlorn Slayer on the swing, "I'm sure he was just in shock is all, he'll come back." she comforted.

Buffy shook her head grimly, "I don't think so this time... I lied to him Willow, right to his face."

"Don't think that way Buffy, it's Angel we're talking about. He never could stay away when you needed him."

Buffy didn't respond.

After a beat, Willow stood, "Come, I'll drive you home, you should get some rest."

Buffy shook her head again and she rose from the swing, "Thanks, but I think I'll walk. I just need to clear my head."

"Are you sure?"

Buffy nodded.

Willow crossed back to the steps, picking up her thermos and briefcase, "Tonight we should have a girls night, you need cheesy movies and ice cream."

Buffy forced a grin for her friend, and she moved to descend the steps, "It's a date.". As she reached the bottom stair, she paused, then turned back to Willow. "Actually, I have a better idea."

Willow stared at her questioningly.

"Meet me at the bookstore after dark, and bring the Orb of Thesulah." Buffy said.

"The Orb? Oh Buffy, you're not thinking..." she trailed off as she noticed the slightly mischievous twinkle in Buffy's sad eyes.

"Oh I am. I'm going to give Spike a little present."

~o~

An intense glow left the Orb of Thesulah, and Willow slowly opened her eyes. She sat indian-style on the large bookstore table, and swung her legs around to climb down.

"So, um, how will we know if it worked?" Lily asked, as she stared at the orb in wonder from her seat next to Olly at the other end of the table.

"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough." Buffy answered, as she leaned with her arms crossed against the balcony railing.

"And exactly how soon is 'soon enough'?" Olly inquired.

"Well, this is Spike we're talking about, he tends to act on impulse rather than calculations... I give it ten minutes." Giles muttered from over the book he was currently buried in.

Buffy settled into a seat with Lily and Olly, and began to study, as Willow and Giles continued to search for information to help them with their pending battle with Dustin. As Giles predicted, no more than ten minutes had passed when the bookstore door was thrown open violently, bouncing off the wall, and would have ricocheted to hit Spike in the head if he hadn't used his vampiric speed to catch it in his hand. His other hand rose, to point at Buffy.

"You Bitch!" he shouted.

Buffy rose from her seat, and circled the table to stand protectively in front of her friends, with her hands on her hips defiantly.

"You Bitch!" he hollered again, rushing towards Buffy, and catching her slightly off-guard, punched her in the face. She fell back, and caught herself on the edge of the tabletop. She glared at him in annoyance. Spike grabbed his head between his palms, and groaned.

"Bollocks, now I feel guilty for doing that!" he grabbed Buffy by her elbows and helped her back to her feet. "You Bitch..." he whined. Buffy simply continued to glare at him, and gave no response. He turned to Willow, with a pleading look on his face, "Red! Why? Why would you go along with this!"

Willow simply shrugged, "Sorry Spike... but I kinda like it better when you're on our side."

Spike grumbled, and fidgeted in place, he looked as though he were about to throw a childish fit.

"Oh, relax Spike! Let's face it, you're better at being a good guy anyway." Buffy sighed, as she pulled out a chair and reclined in it.

Spike's mouth dropped open in indignation, "That's not true! I wreaked quite a bit of havoc in my day, I have!" he argued with exaggerated pride. Suddenly his face fell, "And now I feel bad about it again!"

"Well, it's your lucky day Spike, now you can repent for all your crimes." Giles piped in.

"What's that supposed to mean!"

"Um, Buffy, perhaps you would like to do the honours?" Giles continued.

Spike turned back to Buffy, squinting distrustfully at her, Buffy simply smirked at him.

"What's all this then?" he asked.

"Well," Buffy began, "You're gonna do a little re-con work for us."

"Come again?"

"You're gonna pretend you're still your scary, bad-ass old self, and go make friends with Dustin. You're gonna find out much exactly he knows about the Hellmouth and the Guardian, and you're gonna come back here, and tell us all about it." Buffy explained.

"Are you out of your bleedin' mind?" Spike exclaimed.

"No, I feel fine actually, but thanks for asking." Buffy quipped.

"It's a suicide mission, Pet." Spike growled.

"Not if you do it properly." Buffy spat, standing to meet Spike eye to eye, "And the way I see it, you owe me."

Spike fumed at Buffy, then turned to glance at the rest of the gang who were watching the exchange quite intently. "Fine." Spike grumbled, "But if I come back to you in a matchbox, it's on your head, Love." he emphasized his point by poking Buffy sharply in the chest with his index finger.

"I think I can live with that." she sneered, "Now if you don't mind, I'm off to patrol." and she left the bookshop.

Spike spun around to find the others all watching him, amused grins on their faces.

"Welcome back to the team, Spikey!" Olly exclaimed.

"Don't call me that." Spike warned, shaking a finger at him, "Never call me that."

~o~

As she approached the cemetery gates, Buffy didn't bother stopping to wait for Angel, she knew he wouldn't show. However, she still felt her heart tug with a small spark of hope as she quickly glanced around, wishing that perhaps she'd see him sauntering down the street to meet her, but the quiet road remained deserted as she passed through the wrought-iron gates and into the maze of tombstones. She felt a certain hollowness patrolling on her own, it had been months now since Angel had started to join her on her nightly rounds, and once again, she'd gotten used to the company, as well as Angel's comforting presence. Fiddling with the stake in her hands, she mentally chided herself, wondering what on earth had possessed her to think that involving Angel in her life once more could ever have a positive outcome.

A sudden thundering of feet snapped her out of her reverie, and she spun around with her stake raised in the air to find Spike bounding towards her.

"Come on now Love, I thought the point of cursing me with a soul was that you weren't going to kill me."

Buffy lowered her weapon, and crossed her arms across her chest, "What are you doing here Spike?" she asked.

"Well, I figured with the Soul-Boy Wonder gone you'd need a new sidekick!" he announced with a grin.

"No, Spike, because that would blow your cover." Buffy answered as she turned and continued walking deeper into the graveyard.

"Aw, come on Buffy! You weren't bein' serious back there were you?" he almost whined.

"Actually I was. Very serious. We're out of other options right now. Clearly research is getting us nowhere, so this is Plan B."

"Well I don't like Plan B!"

"Well that's too bad." Buffy grumbled. She walked further and further away from him, and Spike continued to follow her, "Why are you still here?"she turned to him and asked.

Spike grunted in exasperation as he rubbed his hand over his face, "Because I wanted to apologize to you..."

Buffy stopped and turned back to glare at him.

"For... for what I said to Angel..." he muttered.

Buffy clenched her jaw, then spun around and began to storm away, "It was inevitable he'd find out Spike, forget about it." she seethed.

"No! Buffy," he sighed, chasing after her and grabbing her by the arm to spin her around to face him, "I was jealous, and it was idiotic."

Buffy tugged her arm out of his grip, "We're not having this conversation Spike."

"Just stop bein' so bloody stubborn and hear me out damnit!" Spike shouted.

Buffy simply stared at him, her eyes wide in shock over his outburst.

"You don't want to talk about it, that's fine, so I won't and I'll say this simply: You and Angel... you're the real deal." his tone was akin to one of a child being forced to apologize, as he stared at the ground and kicked at the loose dirt along the edge of a freshly dug grave, "We weren't, I know that. So I'm sorry. I should have kept my bleedin' mouth shut. But you know he'll be back, he'll never be able to stay away from you... no matter what."

Buffy had to bite down on the inside of her cheek to keep the tears she felt beginning to form from falling. It seemed like everyone had more faith in her and Angel than they themselves did. "I think you should leave before someone sees us together." she whispered.

Spike nodded dejectedly, "Be careful Pet." he said softly, then turned and sauntered away.

Buffy watched him for a moment, before turning and continuing on her path, she stopped after a few paces, and leaned heavily against a large tree with a sigh. She sincerely hoped that the newly re-souled Spike would uncover the information they needed, if not, she felt she'd just taken another step in complicating her new world further.

~o~

Dustin paced the old warehouse in exasperation. There weren't many places to hide from a Slayer in Braebrook, however he figured that the old warehouse where Angelus was killed would be the last place on her list. Once the broken scaffolding was discarded, it was actually not so bad; then again, anything was a step up from hiding in the sewers. He sighed again as he watched the young Gypsy sit in the corner, meditating, and seemingly unthreatened by the number of vampires nearby.

"Nadya, how long will this take? My patience is wearing thin." he growled.

The woman opened her eyes slowly, and calmly regarded Dustin, "I must be at full strength, your spell is a complicated one." she began, "We also must wait on the last component your book speaks of, it is on its way."

Dustin growled again, "I'm sick of waiting! I've finally found what Angelus couldn't, and I can't even do anything about it!"

"Patience, Chap! Clearly you're new at this; plannin' a proper Apocalypse takes time you know." came a voice from behind him. Dustin spun around to see a man in a long black leather duster standing in the doorway, probably in his late thirties, his peroxide blonde hair slicked back. Nadya surveyed the intruder with narrowed eyes.

"Who the hell are you?" Dustin barked.

"What? You don't recognize me? I'm hurt... I was all over the news a few days ago!" Spike answered in mock-hurt as he approached.

"You are the Professor... the one who was murdered..." Nadya replied.

"Very good! Who's your friend, pal? I like me a beautiful and intelligent lady."

Dustin roared as he grabbed Spike by the throat and threw him against the cold cement wall, "What are you doing here? What do you want?"

Spike chuckled, "The same thing you want: To end the world."

"Then give me one good reason why I should let you help me?" Dustin threatened.

Spike continued to grin menacingly. "Because I have all sorts of information on that pesky little Slayer who's been givin' you such a hard time."

Dustin's expression changed, and he slowly released Spike from his grip.

"Not so quick with the choking now, are we?" Dustin remained silent, so Spike continued, "Well then... How about I give you a day to talk this over with your lady friend, hmm? But I tell you, you'll be missin' out on a very good opportunity if you don't take me up on it." Spike sang as he turned, and began to saunter back out the door.

Dustin watched him go, with a dark look in his eyes.

"You should not trust him." Nadya warned.

"Why not?" Dustin asked.

"His body emanated magic, the magic of my people. He has been cursed with a soul."

Dustin groaned, "Another? What is wrong with this town?"

"But he does have information on your Slayer, I could sense it in him." Nadya continued.

"Really?" Dustin asked. He contemplated quietly for a moment, as he stared towards the door where Spike had just exited, "Perhaps we could use this to both our advantages."

~o~

**My Gypsy is really causing some problems here! What a bitch! ;)**

**Spike is back! Yay! I only had him human because I wanted him to be an evil vampire again (and I didn't want to go the whole losing-his-soul route, I feel that's been overdone), and I really only wanted him evil so he could spill Buffy's secret to Angel in the last chapter. I'd been itching to write the confrontation between Buffy and Angel once he found out, but I had no idea how he was going to come to the revelation... and that was when I decided it would be perfect (and horrible) if Spike was the one that told him. This is as far as I'll go with any sort of love-triangle between the three of them. Spike is back now as a friend and nothing more.  
As for his personality in this story, I wasn't really a fan of how Spike's character evolved on the show (I mean no disrespect to James Marsters, I thought he was bloody perfect for the role). What I always loved about Spike was his biting wit and sarcasm, and I felt he started to lose that once he got all obsessed with Buffy. So even though he's souled he's gonna still be a little bit of an asshole. I think it's perfectly acceptable, not everyone deals with guilt in the same way, and I really don't see him being all broody like Angel. **


	29. Chapter 29: Black Holes and Revelations

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

* * *

Chapter 29: Black Holes and Revelations

Shortly after dusk, Giles busied himself with dusting off the virtually untouched cash register in the corner of the store. He must admit, he was quite happy that the newly founded Council was funding this place, for he was sure had he decided this was a new path in life, and not just a front to survey paranormal activity, the store would have closed ages ago. The lack of customers certainly made it easier for him to aid Buffy with their new demonic problems, but conversely it made him scowl at the changing times, the lack of respect people had for the written word, for the classics...

The tinkling of the bell attached to the front door broke him out of his thoughts, "I'm sorry, I was just closing up-" he trailed off once he looked up, to find a rather forlorn looking Angel standing in the doorway. "Angel..."

"Giles." He greeted quietly.

Giles put down his dust cloth, and brushed his hands together, "H-how have you been?"

Angel chuckled darkly, "I've been better."

"Yes, I imagine you have... perhaps you'd like to have a seat in my office?" Giles offered.

Once they were settled, Giles at his desk, and Angel slumped in a small armchair against the wall, the awkward silence hadn't dissipated.

"So you knew...?" Angel asked softly.

With a sigh, Giles nodded, "She begged me not to tell you, I'm sorry."

Angel didn't reply.

"I fully understand your reaction Angel, however, you should know that she didn't do it out of malice, she was merely trying to protect you. Albeit, in a mildly misguided fashion..." Giles continued.

"I'm not angry Giles." Angel finally said.

"Oh?"

"Well, I mean, I was mad at first... but the more I think about it, the more I understand why she did what she did."

Giles regarded the vampire solemnly. For a time he had insisted on holding a grudge against him, however, he couldn't remain cold to someone who continuously showed so much devotion to Buffy. Over the many years he'd proven to be a worthy and valuable ally in their battles, not to mention someone he could always turn to for much needed information. It distressed him now to see someone who over the past thirteen years he'd grown to consider not only a colleague, but he supposed also a friend, so terribly haunted.

"When you called, and told me she-she'd died... well, you know what happened, you know how it affected me." Angel recalled shamefully, alluding to the most recent return of Angelus, "And since I woke up here in this body, with a new Slayer, I thought it was some cosmic joke." he sighed, "So now, to find out she's alive, and she's been here all along..."

"It forces you to re-live everything you felt after she died. Every single ounce of pain, of remorse..." Giles finished.

Angel nodded almost imperceptibly. "I think... I think deep down I knew. I sensed her, I just didn't realize what I was feeling, I pushed it away because I was convinced she was gone." It was harder to discuss this than he thought it would be. He trusted Giles, and he'd always called him to check up on Buffy since they'd destroyed the Sunnydale Hellmouth and began travelling the globe thirteen years ago, however he'd never in that time discussed his feelings for her with him. It was new ground, something he wasn't sure he should divulge since Giles was protective of Buffy, and weary of their relationship after the mess it had created after her seventeenth birthday. However, Buffy's secrecy had reminded him of the one secret he'd kept from her all these years, one that he'd been carrying all on his own, that was now threatening to break his back with its weight. "But I have no right to be angry, because I've done the same thing to her." he said.

Giles surveyed Angel with a puzzled look on his face, "What do you mean?"

Angel sighed, "Do you remember sixteen years ago, when I came back to Sunnydale over Thanksgiving without telling Buffy?" he asked.

"Yes?" Giles replied.

"Well, when she came to L.A. to scold me, a Mohra demon attacked us."

Giles' expression became one of shock, "The demon that's blood turned Spike human?" he had grilled the other vampire non-stop when he showed up in Edinburgh with a heartbeat. Spike had finally agreed to tell him what happened as long as he promised to keep it to himself.

"Yes... and when I killed it, it's blood mixed with mine, and I was human. And we... we were happy." Angel smiled sadly as his thoughts were brought back to the events of that day.

"I-I don't understand... what happened then to turn you back?" Giles sputtered.

"I happened. I tried to fight on my own, to prove that I could still help Buffy in battle, that I wouldn't be a liability... and I couldn't. She had to put her life at risk to save me. So I went to the Oracles for the Powers That Be, and asked them to change me back."

Giles listened silently and intently.

"But in order to do so, they had to completely erase everything that happened. The day would have never existed to anyone but me."

Realization dawned on Giles, "You erased Buffy's memory..."

"I did. I didn't want her to end up sacrificing her life trying to keep me safe, she had enough on her shoulders already. And I've lived with it ever since." Angel sighed remorsefully, "So, I don't really blame her for keeping her identity a secret, she was just doing the same thing."

Giles removed his glasses, and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Yes, I understand..." he muttered in shock. "What will you do now?"

Angel wrung his hands together, "I'm not sure... things rarely go well when we're together..." he chuckled as he rose from his chair to leave.

"I won't judge your decision when you come to it, I want you to know that Angel," Giles began, "But you should know that Buffy has always been stronger with you by her side."

Angel smiled sadly, then, with a nod, turned to leave the office.

"I won't tell her what you told me, by the way... your secret is safe." Giles said.

Angel grinned sadly, "I appreciate it Giles." he replied, then slipped out the door.

Giles watched him go, before sighing heavily. The saga of Buffy and Angel's doomed relationship never ceased to surprise him anymore it seemed. Finding that he'd lost all drive to finish dusting the shop, he decided it was time to call it an evening and return upstairs to his apartment. If Angel did decide to leave town, their burden would be that much heavier once the Hellmouth was unleashed upon them.

~o~

Angel exited the bookstore and began to make his way back down the street towards the industrial part of town. He knew Buffy would most likely be patrolling the graveyard at this time of night, so there was no reason he couldn't still do his part by hunting some vampires while avoiding her. He'd barely made it to the end of the next block when he heard someone calling his name behind him.

"Angel! Hey!" he turned to find Olly jumping out of his beaten down automobile and jogging down the sidewalk to meet him.

"Olly, what's going on?" Angel asked.

"Oh, nothing... nothing... listen, I was thinking, um... or wondering more, if you'd mind maybe teaching me a few moves?" Olly asked hopefully.

"I'm sorry?" Angel asked.

"Fighting moves. I mean, I figure if you're gonna wuss out and skip town again, someone needs to help Maddy-er-Buffy with the slaying."

Angel scowled at the young man, "I don't think that's a good idea. Besides, if Buffy knew you were asking me this, she wouldn't be very happy."

"Well, I'm her friend, and I want to watch her back." Olly argued.

"Maddy was your friend, Buffy-"

"Is still my friend." Olly interrupted. "Yeah, sure, I'll admit it's a bit creepy, but I couldn't even tell the difference. She's good people, and she saved my life, so, I'm gonna stick around... and so should you."

"It's not that simple for me, Kid." Angel sighed in exasperation.

"You love her, and I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you don't want the world to end... what's so complicated about that?"

"Go home Olly, there are a lot of dangerous things out after dark." Angel warned darkly.

"She only did it cause she loves you, you know." Olly called as Angel turned to walk away.

He stopped, "What?"

"She loves you, stupid, she didn't tell you who she was because she didn't want you to leave her again."

Angel approached Olly menacingly, the younger man cowered slightly, "So you want to learn how to fight?" Angel asked. Olly nodded feebly in response. "I live up the street, number 1432... come by tomorrow night." Angel told him before turning and stalking away.

"O-okay, thanks!" Olly called, as he scurried back to his car and drove away. Angel watched as the car shrank in the distance, then sharply turned to corner at the end of the street with a sickening sense of deja-vu.

_It was mere weeks before Buffy and Xander had left for South America, where Xander met his untimely demise. Buffy had called up Angel in New York and asked him to come to Edinburgh to help them defeat this sect of dark sorcerers who were plotting to awaken yet another horrifying and dangerous demon. Giles had been quite worried, leading her to believe that she would need all the help she could get. It turned out that she had been right, as when they got there the demon had already risen. But thankfully, after a long and gruelling battle they came out victorious, and yet another crisis was averted. The New Council had purchased an old manor in which Buffy and her troops of slayers had set up a base, and Angel had made his way to Buffy's office, an old-fashioned and elegant study that seemed more suited to Giles by the sheer amount of old books and antiques that adorned the room, and discovered her perched on the edge of her desk, with Xander sprawled out on a luxurious velvet chaise lounge, both holding a tumbler filled with amber coloured liquid in their hand, and laughing quite loudly. Buffy stopped abruptly upon laying eyes on Angel._

_ "Angel." She said, slight surprise colouring her voice as she placed her glass down on the desk, and rose to her feet._

_ "Hey! Angel-man! Nice fighting out there, cheers!" Xander toasted before taking a large swig of his drink, and making a sour face._

_ "You too..." he muttered before turning his attention back to Buffy, who still stood awkwardly in front of the desk. "I, um, I'm gonna be heading back to New York so..." _

_ "Right." Buffy nodded, "Thanks so much for your help, I really don't think we could have done this without you." she said as she left the edge of the desk to join Angel by the door._

_ "I don't know, you've got a pretty solid team of Slayers here, I'm sure you could have managed." he replied._

_ "Managing doesn't necessarily cut it when it comes to fighting evil." Buffy replied with a small nervous laugh._

_ "I guess you're right... at any rate, you're doing well for yourself Buffy, I'm proud." Angel said with a smile._

_ Buffy beamed at him, "Thank you... it means a lot... really."_

_ They lost themselves momentarily in each others eyes, from the couch Xander was sure he saw Angel's hands twitch, as though he were about to raise his arms to embrace Buffy, but then stopped himself._

_ "Well, it was good to see you." Angel finally said, rather curtly, as he stuffed his hands into his duster pockets._

_ Buffy blinked herself back to reality, then taking the smallest of steps back from him politely said "Yes, you too." Hurt flickered briefly in her eyes, and she bit her lip. "Have a safe trip home." she said, then stepped past him and left the room. Angel remained rooted to the spot, and Xander began to chortle as he took another sip from his drink, "You're an idiot..." he slurred._

_ "Beg your pardon?" Angel asked._

_ Xander simply continued to grin lazily, "Don't play dumb, man."_

_ Angel ground his teeth together in frustration, though his relationship with the young man had improved greatly over the years, he still found him infuriating at times. "It was good seeing you Xander" he sighed, and slowly turned towards the door._

_ Xander sighed and sat up, placing his drink down on the mahogany table in front of him, then rubbed his hands over his face, "Come on, Angel, don't be like that." Xander pleaded sincerely. The inebriated, goofy demeanour he'd possessed mere moments ago had completely disappeared and he sat solemnly leaning on his knees, silently staring at Angel._

_ Angel noted his sudden change in behaviour, and with a small shake of his head, turned back around to face him, "Alright, what is it?"_

_ Xander pressed his lips together tightly, and stared at his tented fingers before looking back up to Angel, "You didn't hear this from me... and she's way too proud and self-sacrificing to admit it – probably even to herself... but she still loves you."_

_ Angel exhaled superfluously, "Xander-"_

_ "No, man, hear me out before you start spewing your excuses, alright?"_

_ With a rather unimpressed look on his face, Angel nodded._

_ "Good." Xander exclaimed, then was serious again. "Now I know you have that pesky curse thing... and God knows I'm in no hurry to have a reunion with your evil twin anytime soon... But I think after everything Buffy's been through, she deserves to be happy. And although it took me a really, really long time to accept it: you make her happy." _

_ Angel was taken aback slightly by Xander's altruism, especially since it was directed partially towards him._

_ "And, you know, you've done your share of good deeds... it's really not all that fair that you keep beating yourself up for stuff you did a hundred-plus years ago... you should be happy too – but only in moderation." Xander stated with a warning wag of his finger._

_ Angel wrung his hands together, "I know you mean well, Xander, and it's always eased my mind that Buffy has someone like you to look out for her... but I just don't think we fit in each others' world's anymore."_

_ "I don't know. I always thought when it came to love, if you wanted it bad enough, you made it work." Xander replied roughly, reaching for his drink._

_ Angel simply studied the man sitting before him on the lounge chair. This wasn't the impetuous jealous teenager he'd met back in Sunnydale, this was a man who had been weathered by many battles, by many losses. Angel wished he could shut him up with the usual 'I've lived longer, and experienced more than you ever will' speech, but when it came to love, Angel wasn't sure it applied._

_ Xander continued to stare at Angel, a tiny smirk played on his lips the longer it took for him to respond and he cocked an eyebrow sardonically as he readjusted his eyepatch._

_ "Take care of yourself Xander." Angel finally said._

_ Xander's expression didn't change as Angel turned to exit the room, "Yeah... you too Angel." he called as he shook his head, and lifted his glass back up to his lips._

Angel found himself wondering now what would have happened if he'd taken Xander's advice. Would he still be alive? Would Buffy and himself have still been thrown into these other people's bodies? Would Braebrook be on the brink of splitting open and unleashing unknown evils on the earth? The thought of Buffy having to battle whatever Dustin may call forth with only Willow, Giles, Lily and Olly as back-up made him queasy. The other Slayers were busy picking up the slack now that Buffy couldn't hunt down and train any new potentials anymore, leaving a lack of man power to help Buffy in the coming crisis. It didn't take any consideration for Angel to come to the realization that it would be far worse to lose Buffy again than it would be to deal with their strained relationship and help her fight. Angel smirked, and shook his head. "Damnit Xander..." he muttered under his breath. His thoughts were interrupted as he passed by a dead-end alley, and spotted two vampires in the process of cornering a young woman against a dumpster. Angel launched into action, a good fight was exactly what he needed right now.

_"He said to lose my life or lose my love  
That's the nightmare I've been running from  
So let me hold you in my arms a while  
I was always careless as a child  
And there's a part of me that still believes  
My soul will soar above the trees  
But a desperate fear flows through my blood  
Our dead love's buried beneath the mud "  
- "To Lose My Life" by White Lies_

~o~

**I felt it was only fair to have a chapter about how Angel feels about this whole mess, poor guy.**

**Now, before any of you ask, Buffy is not going to find out about what really happened in IWRY. Enough people have explored that, and I don't really have any new and original ideas on the subject, so it remains a secret. Besides, I think they have enough problems to sort out without adding that one to the laundry list, I only had Angel confess to Giles as an explanation of why he feels he can't really be angry at Buffy for hiding the truth from him.**

**My flashback between Xander and Angel was probably one of my more favourite parts to write. I feel that a more mature Xander would eventually get over his hatred of Angel, and in light of losing Anya he would probably be a lot more sympathetic to Buffy and Angel's situation...maybe I just want to redeem everyone in this story, haha.**

**Now that I've got most of the story set-up, I tried to weave Olly and Lily into things a bit more, this little exchange between Olly and Angel was sort of the beginning of it.**

**Until next week!**

**Reviews are greatly appreciated :)**


	30. Chapter 30: Denial

**I hope all you lovely people are having a wonderful weekend! I'm enjoying 3 relaxing days off (after working almost 14 hours in one day and having my brain turn to mush, so I think it's deserved!), and seeing as I think I'll actually have some extra time to work on some of my other stories, I've decided to post one chapter today, and the other tomorrow. Chapter 31 is pretty long, so I thought this would give everyone enough time to read both!**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

* * *

_"There's a ghost in my lungs and it sighs in my sleep_  
_Wraps itself around my tongue as it softly speaks_  
_Then it walks, then it walks with my legs_  
_To fall, to fall, to fall at your feet"_  
- "Ghosts" by Florence and the Machine

Chapter 30: Denial

"I'm really quite glad you decided to take me up on my offer." Spike chanted, as he jovially paced around the warehouse, surveying his surroundings, "'I think this is the beginnin' of a beautiful friendship'!" He moved over to a large wooden table sitting by the side wall, and threw himself into one of the rusting metal chairs beside it, swinging his feet up onto the tabletop. Dustin sauntered over to where he sat, and pushed his feet off the table slowly, before leaning against it with his arms folded. The woman, Nadya, hung back slightly, but stayed within earshot of the two vampires.

"So, tell me what you know then." Dustin grunted.

"Well, what exactly do you need to know?" Spike taunted.

Dustin sneered, he had a feeling that despite the fact that he was playing Spike, it was going to be a very unpleasant process, "How much does she know about our plans?" he asked.

"Not too much..." Spike began, "Just what they could translate from the pages she stole from your fancy little book."

Dustin grunted again, "I could've gathered that much... if you don't have any useful information, what the hell are you here for?"

"Tut, tut, Lad! A touch on edge are we? Maybe you're not ready for your own Apocalypse..."

Dustin roared, and kicked the table, sending it sliding into the nearby wall, "Of course I'm on edge!" he hollered, "For thirteen years we've been sitting on our hands! Ever since the Sunnydale Hellmouth was destroyed there have been whispers; 'don't start any trouble, the Slayer will find out!'... so we lay low, kill only what we need to survive... and for what? So another Slayer can show up here and start hunting us down? No... Angelus had the right idea! It's time to cause some chaos again." he pontificated.

Spike chuckled, and began to applaud dramatically, "Bravo! Have you ever thought of a career in drama?" he drawled. He wondered how much longer he could put off divulging any information before it would start to look suspicious.

Dustin snarled, and leaned over Spike menacingly, "I could just stake you now, if you're unwilling to cooperate."

"Well, to be honest man, I think the Slayer is the least of your worries right now... I mean, if I were you, I'd be focusin' on figuring out how to awaken that silly Guardian, before I'd be worryin' about who might stop me." Spike countered.

"I've already figured that out." Dustin replied, turning from Spike to approach Nadya. He ran a finger down her cheek gently, and a momentary flash of guilt washed over her features. "That's what Nadya is here for... to help us with her Gypsy magic, and in return I let her have that traitorous son of a bitch, Angel."

In shock, Spike turned to stare at the exotic woman, "Gypsy?" he questioned.

"Yes, I am of the Romani." She replied.

"And what's all this about Angel? I thought the little Slayer took care of Angelus?" Spike asked, playing dumb.

"His soul has been anchored to another body." Nadya explained.

"And you're not too happy about that?"

"It was not done by our magic... it is no longer a curse, but a gift. I have been sent by the elder to make sure the clause remains intact, and that he continues to suffer for his crime against my people."

Spike's mind reeled. If Angel didn't have a soul because of the Romani curse, then that meant... he fought hard to suppress his laughter, if only Buffy and the Poof knew! Of course, it wasn't his place to tell them, right? They had far more important things to concentrate on, like the end of the world. It wasn't jealousy making him keep this mammoth of a revelation to himself. "Bloody hell, you people really know how to hold a grudge, don't you?"

Nadya grimaced, but didn't respond.

"She doesn't get to have Angel until I get what I want." Dustin chimed in, "And that is an opened Hellmouth."

"I keep telling you, we need the dagger for the spell! I can do nothing until then!" She seethed.

"Dagger?" Spike inquired.

Dustin sighed, "Yes, there is some ceremonial dagger which must be used to awaken the Guardian. It's owned by a museum in Cairo, but I have put in a request, posing as the curator for the Braebrook Museum, to have it on loan for an upcoming exhibit. It will arrive next week." he explained, "Now, I just need to make sure that the Slayer and her friends don't get wind of it, and intercept me; which is why I need you to tell me how I can distract her!"

Spike swallowed, he knew he needed something convincing, he also knew that he couldn't put anyone in danger who couldn't defend themselves. There was only one thing that came to mind, and he knew it would work, because it would play into Nadya's needs as well... "There is one thing... one person that the Slayer will stop at nothin' to save," he muttered, he damned his soul for the twinge of guilt that was beginning to creep up inside his belly, "she would drop everything to save Angel."

~o~

Buffy slumped over her textbook with her chin cupped in her palm. Her eyes refused to focus on the words written on the page, and she absentmindedly drew lazy spirals over and over again in the margin of her notebook instead of taking any actual notes. It had been almost a week now since her altercation with Angel in the cemetery, and there had still been no sign of him. She was beginning to convince herself that he had left town, and the tiny spark of hope she'd held onto desperately was being slowly extinguished. She couldn't blame him for being angry with her, she found she was beating herself up over it an awful lot lately, replaying their first encounter in the alley over and over again, wishing she'd confessed who she really was on that night, and avoided this whole mess. She hoped wherever he'd decided to go, that he was at least continuing to help people, and that maybe one day he could forgive her.

Olly watched Buffy apprehensively. He decided against telling her about his confrontation with Angel, and the fact that he'd been twice now to meet with him for training sessions. He knew he'd rattled Angel on the street, but unsure of what he would do, he decided it was best to not get her hopes up without good reason. Nevertheless, it hurt him to see his close friend so out of sorts, especially since it was apparently affecting her studying habits. He knew if she was not so distracted she would be much more agitated about end of semester finals coming up in the next few weeks. He cast a glance sideways at Lily, who was also watching Buffy with a frown on her face.

"You know what guys," he began, "I think we need a night to blow off some steam. It's been awhile since we've all gone to The Orchard together! What do you say? Friday night?" Olly looked pointedly at Lily, while nodding towards Buffy who still sat in a daze.

Lily's eyes grew wide as she caught on to Olly's train of thought, and then nodded excitedly. "That sounds like a great idea! Don't you think, Buffy?" Lily exclaimed.

Buffy looked up from her textbook at her two friends smiling at her hopefully. She was really in no mood to party, but she regretted not having more time to spend with them since they'd uncovered Dustin's plan. She'd spent so much time patrolling, researching with Giles, and using every spare minute she had to keep up with her schoolwork that hanging out with her longtime friends had been pushed onto the back burner. She sighed, and put on the most enthusiastic smile she could muster. "Sure. It does sound like a good idea."

"Great!" Olly exclaimed, glancing at the time on his cellphone. "You ladies better bring your dancing shoes!" he announced as he began gathering up his books, "I have somewhere I need to be, I'll catch you two later!" and he rushed off before they could question him further. He was heading to Angel's for another training session, and was beginning to run out of excuses for where he was going.

Lily watched Olly leave with a puzzled expression, "He's been doing that a lot lately..." she mumbled.

"Has he?" Buffy asked and Lily nodded in reply. Buffy frowned, "I hadn't even noticed... I feel terrible, I never get to see you guys anymore. I'm sorry." she sighed.

Lily frowned, "Don't feel bad! You have a sacred duty to attend to and all that jazz... we understand."

Buffy sighed, "Even still, I feel like I only see you guys when something bad is happening now. It's not fair."

"Oh, don't be like that Buffy! We're not mad!" Lily assured her. She turned slightly to look in the direction that Olly had run off in, "I wonder if he's dating someone secretly..." she wondered with a frown.

Buffy picked up the sudden change in her expression, "Would that bother you?" she asked.

Lily's cheeks burned red, "No! Not at all! I just don't like that he's keeping it a secret!"

Buffy cocked an eyebrow at her friend, "Lily... spill, what's going on?

Lily's expression became worried, "Well, it's nothing really... it's just... we've been hanging out a lot more just the two of us, since you started this whole slaying thing... and... well... it's been... different... I guess." she stammered.

Buffy couldn't help giggling slightly, despite her mood, she wondered what Olly would do if he could overhear this conversation, "Different how?"

"He's just... he's just... I don't know, he's sweet... let's stop talking about this! God!" Lily exclaimed, covering her cheeks with her hands.

Buffy continued to grin, "Alright Lil, whatever you say." she replied with a wink.

"Stop. Really." Lily grumbled, trying to keep a straight face.

Buffy simply returned to reading her textbook. At least things seemed to be working out for someone in this town.

~o~

When Olly arrived at Angel's apartment he was already warming up with the punching bag. Olly threw his backpack down next to the door, and stretched his neck from side to side.

"Alright, toss me the gloves, I'm ready to go!" he said, throwing his fists up next to his face, and bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Angel stopped pummelling the bag, and turned to face him, "Not today Olly. Today you're gonna fight me." he announced.

Olly dropped his fists, and stared at Angel in disbelief, "Come again?"

"You need to learn how to block an attack. There's no point in knowing how to throw a good punch if you don't have any defensive skills. You'll still get your ass kicked." Angel explained, turning towards him and pounding the boxing gloves together.

"Uhhh... you sure you're not just looking for an excuse to kick my ass?" he asked.

"Why would I need an excuse?" Angel mocked.

"Fair enough." Olly replied as he moved hesitantly to stand in front of Angel. He raised his fists again, and sighed heavily.

"Now, I'll start slow, but the point of this is to make you able to anticipate your opponent's next move. That way, you can end up with the upper hand."

Olly nodded, and began bouncing on his feet again, as he prepared for Angel to throw his first punch. He pulled back his fist to wind up, and then swung. Olly, moved to stop his arm, but narrowly missed, and Angel's fist connected with his abdomen. Olly exhaled sharply as Angel's blow winded him, then doubled over as he coughed, clutching his stomach.

"Oh... god... that was starting slow?"

"Hey, you're the one that wanted to learn how to fight, I never said it would be easy!"

"This is payback for what I said to you in the street isn't it?" Olly wheezed.

Angel's brow furrowed, "What do you mean?" he asked in a clipped voice, as Olly straightened out again. Angel threw another punch, this time Olly ducked out of the way, and felt the breeze of Angel's fist whizzing past his nose.

"Hey, watch the face alright!" Olly exclaimed before readying himself for another attack. This time he swatted Angel's fist away with the back of his forearm. "And I mean, you're doing this cause I chewed you out about ditching Buffy."

Angel's eyes flashed angrily, and he whipped his leg out, kicking Olly in the ribs. He stumbled backwards slightly, gripping his side. "You kicked me! You didn't say anything about kicking!"

"If you think I'm going to take relationship advice from a nineteen-year-old who can't even get a girl himself, you've got a sad case of delusion." Angel chuckled, swinging again at Olly not once, but twice. Olly managed to block both blows.

"I can so get a girl! You don't know what you're talking about!" he fumed.

"Really?" Angel smirked, "Then how come Lily still doesn't know how you feel?"

Olly dropped his fists, and his jaw fell open in shock, leaving Angel an open to deck him across the face. "Ow! What the hell!" Olly yelped, rubbing his cheek with a sullen expression on his face, "H-how do you know... how... did Buffy tell you? Cause I swore her to secrecy!"

Angel pulled off the boxing gloves, and threw Olly a towel, "She didn't have to tell me anything, you don't exactly do a good job of hiding it."

"What do you mean?" Olly asked with a frown.

"Well, you always insist on driving her home, you only ask her to help you when you're translating whatever we're researching..." Angel began.

"She's my friend! Of course I'd insist on driving her home when there's big scary vampires running amok! And she's studying languages at school... so... yeah!"

"Well, Giles has been trained in most ancient languages, and hell, Spike and I have been around since people were still speaking some of them."

"Okay, but..." Olly stuttered, "But your hair doesn't smell like apples!"

Angel gave him a puzzled look.

"Not that I've been smelling your hair or anything..." Olly added.

Angel smirked again, "Why don't you just tell her? I'm sure you have nothing to lose."

"Why don't you just give Buffy another chance? I'm sure _you_ have nothing to lose."

Angel scowled, "Things between Buffy and I are far more complicated than things between you and Lily. You'd do better to keep your nose out of it." he responded with a sigh.

"Fine. I'm just a kid, I don't know anything! But the both of you are so miserable and mopey right now, so you should just get over yourselves and reconcile. Buffy can't afford to be mopey, she's gotta be all ambush-y tomorrow night!" Olly spat.

"She has to what?" Angel asked. His tone had changed to one of concern, he hadn't spoken to Giles in a little while now, and wasn't sure what was going on. Had they uncovered something?

"Spike told us that Dustin has some sort of ceremonial dagger thingy coming to Braebrook so he can wake up that Guardian thing."

"Wait, Spike told you?" Angel asked incredulously.

Olly chuckled, "Yeah, Buffy made Willow curse him, so now he's like you, and back on our side! Anyway, he's being like a double-agent and getting information from Dustin. This dagger is arriving at the museum tomorrow night, so Buffy's gonna be there to intercept and hopefully keep it from falling into Dustin's hands."

Angel remained quiet. He didn't like the notion of Buffy attacking Dustin and his minions all on her own, and he especially didn't like that she took the time to restore Spike's soul. He suppressed a flicker of jealousy as he reached for the boxing gloves once more.

"You ready for round two?" he asked.

"Sure," Olly replied, "Just stop aiming for my face."

~o~

**I've always firmly believed that Spike will always look out for Number One, regardless of whatever else he's doing, hence why he's being a bit of a jerk, and not telling Buffy and Angel about the curse... or lack thereof. He's also most definitely the jealous type, and I'm sure that he would do whatever he could to make Angel miserable, even if he's already thrown in the towel.  
Hey, Spike is the asshole I love to hate/hate to love, I can't help it. He's so much more fun to write when he's being naughty.**

**I really enjoy writing scenes between Olly and Angel, I feel like they're kind of the way conversations between Xander and Angel would have gone if Xander hadn't always been such an asshole towards him. I'm also having a lot of fun with Angel teasing Olly about his crush on Lily; even though he's got a soul, he's still a vampire, and a predator, he knows how to get under people's skin when he wants to!**

**Chapter 31 up tomorrow, and maybe if you're lucky Buffy and Angel might get to interact a bit. ;) **


	31. Chapter 31: Timing Is Everything

**Lots of developments in this chapter! Here we go!**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

* * *

Chapter 31: Timing is Everything

The following evening Buffy sat atop the large bookstore table sharpening a stake as the rest of the gang gathered around discussing the plan of attack for that night.

"So, according to Spike, the dagger is scheduled to arrive at the museum at nine o'clock." Giles began.

"Speaking of the fanged puppy dog, where is he?" Olly asked,

"He will be arriving at the museum with Dustin, in order to keep with the appearance that he is still without a soul. Now Buffy-"

"Keep to the shadows, lie in wait till the dagger arrives, then kick some ass. We've been over this ten times Giles, it's not that daunting of a task." Buffy sighed.

"Yes, well, you will be on your own tonight so I'm just making sure you're prepared... is that all you're bringing?" Giles asked, nodding towards the stake in her hand.

"It's just vampires, right? It's all I'll need." Buffy shrugged.

Giles sighed, he recognized Buffy's nonchalant behaviour as a cover for the hurt she was feeling regarding Angel's disappearance. He knew there would be no point in chastising her, or pointing out the importance of succeeding tonight, so he simply sighed and lowered himself into a nearby chair.

"Are you sure you don't want me there Buffy? I'm sure there's something I could do..." Willow asked.

"No, it's alright Will, I think I'd rather do this the old fashioned way." Buffy answered as she hopped off the table, and stuffed the stake into her boot. "I think I'll just head over now actually, case the joint a bit, you know?"

"Be careful Buffy!" Lily called.

With a brief smile, Buffy turned and quickly exited the store.

"Poor Buffy..." Willow sighed.

"This is exactly how Maddy used to get when she was upset... do you think ice cream and B-Movies help when your sort-of-but-not-really vampire boyfriend goes AWOL?" Lily asked, turning to Olly.

"Cheer up guys, I have a feeling she won't be moping much longer." Olly said.

"What do you mean?" Willow asked.

Olly froze, realizing he would have no reason for such an announcement unless he'd spoken to Angel, "I... uh... I just mean because she's so resilient... and stuff."

Giles frowned, "Yes Olly, that was very convincing."

"You're the worst liar ever Oliver, what's going on?" Lily asked.

Olly sighed, "I ran into Angel and sort of asked him to teach me to fight..."

"Sort of?" Giles prodded.

"Okay, so I asked him to teach me to fight."

"What did he say?" Lily asked.

"Yes... that's where I've been running off to all week..." Olly admitted, not liking the look on Lily's face.

"Are you stupid? You can't fight with Buffy! She's got all that superhuman strength! You'll just end up all dead!" She exclaimed.

"That's not true! I'm doing pretty well actually..." Olly defended.

"Guys, we can discuss why Olly's an idiot later." Willow interrupted, "What did Angel say?" she urged.

Olly shrugged, "He didn't really say much, I mean he's not really very verbal. But he's not acting much differently than Buffy is, I figure it's just a matter of time."

"Don't underestimate Angel's willpower." Giles warned, "Though I admire you looking out for Buffy's feelings, Angel will do what he feels is best, regardless of what you try to convince him."

~o~

Buffy crept cautiously along the side wall of the museum, then crouched behind a large shrub in waiting. She'd already checked all the entrances and windows to the facility, and they were all locked securely, she doubted Dustin and his buddies had found a way in. She silently hoped that Dustin didn't bring too many of his lackeys as back-up. Patrolling was one thing, but she couldn't remember the last time she'd had to execute an important mission without some sort of backup, her thoughts immediately turned to Angel, and before she had a chance to stop herself, she found herself wishing he was here to help her out. With a frustrated sigh, she decided she would just have to count on Spike keeping his word and staying out of the battle as much as he could without drawing suspicion. At least that would be one less vampire she would have to worry about.

Just as she was beginning to think her legs would fall asleep if she had to stay crunched up behind the bushes any longer, she spotted Dustin rounding the opposite side of the building, followed by Spike, and only two other minions. She grinned, thankful not only that this didn't look like it would be too hard of a fight, but that they hadn't chosen to approach the road from her side of the building, blowing her cover. The vampires stopped at the end of the long path, just in front of the sidewalk. Dustin turned to the others, and looked like he was giving them orders, while Spike and the other two simply nodded in response. Buffy began to creep forward slowly, trying her best to stay hidden behind the shrubs, readying herself for the attack once the dagger arrived. No sooner had she gotten to the end of the line of hedges, than a sleek and luxurious looking black car pulled up to the edge of the sidewalk, and a robust, middle-aged man, possibly of Greek descent, stepped out of the back door of the vehicle. A small metal briefcase in his hand. Dustin approached him as the other vampires hung back, Spike looked around anxiously.

"Mr. Spiro Antonopoulos?" Dustin asked the man.

"Yes," the man replied with a smile as he extended his hand towards Dustin, "Mr. Dustin Ashford?" he asked.

Dustin grinned at the man, however his was much more malicious than the friendly one Mr. Antonopoulos had offered, "Yes." he replied, before his hands flew up to Spiro's jaw, and swiftly snapped his head to the side. The car's tires screeched and it suddenly lurched away from the sidewalk as the man slowly dropped to the ground, the driver clearly not wanting to be the next victim. In the meantime Dustin had ripped the metal briefcase out of poor Mr. Antonopoulos' hand before he'd even hit the asphalt, and turned back towards his waiting minions. Without another moment to spare, Buffy hurdled over the bushes, and sprinted full speed towards Dustin, he turned towards her, as he heard her thundering footsteps approaching, and growled. Without even a word to the others, the two minions, and Spike stepped between him and Buffy, game faces ready, poised for the attack.

"All by yourself tonight Slayer? No good considering we already have the upper hand." Dustin taunted, swinging the metal box in front of her face.

"I'm not too worried about that to be honest." She said before lunging out and staking the first minion before he'd even had time to blink. She smirked at Dustin, "You were saying?"

Spike attacked next, he leaped at her, but she knocked him to the ground with a powerful punch to his face. She knew she'd be getting an earful about that later, but she was still a little pissed off about what he'd said to Angel in the graveyard, and it had felt good to deck him. She moved on to the last vampire, and had made quick work of him before she'd noticed that Dustin had taken off running down the street, the briefcase in hand. Buffy sped off after him, there was no way he was escaping her with that dagger. She pushed herself to her limit, and gained on him quickly. Using all her strength, she threw herself at Dustin's back, and tackled him to the ground. The briefcase went skidding further down the street, and Buffy sat atop his back, her hand gripping his dreadlocks tightly, pinning his head to the pavement as her other hand held her stake over his heart. This was it, she could stake Dustin now, and stop everything from happening altogether. This crisis would be averted, and her and Giles could go back to researching what had put her into Madeline's body. She raised the stake higher, ready to strike, when a blur of black leather sped by her, swept up the briefcase, and continued down the road.

"I got it boss! Don't you worry!"

Spike. He sped down the street, and turned the corner, out of Buffy's sight. Her stomach fell, if she didn't follow Spike right away, it would look suspicious, she was here for the dagger. "Shit," she swore under her breath as she rose to her feet, angrily slamming her stake to the ground, and took off after the bleach blond vampire.

Dustin watched her take off, chuckling to himself, and thanked his lucky stars.

~o~

As Buffy rounded the corner, the first thing she saw was a flash of silver flying towards her face. In a split second, she'd caught the soaring briefcase between her hands, and lowered it to glare at the grinning man in front of her.

"No need to thank me Pet." he said smugly.

"I won't! If you hadn't jumped the gun Dustin would be dead now." She seethed.

"I got the dagger away from him! That's what you wanted, wasn't it?" Spike exclaimed.

"If Dustin was... well, dust, I would have it anyway!"

"Bloody Hell Buff! This is the last time I do you any favours!"

"This isn't a favour Spike, you owe me, remember!"

Spike grumbled something unintelligible under his breath, and lightly kicked the brick wall they were standing beside, "It's a good thing I've got a soul right now... otherwise, _pow_, right in the kisser..." Spike grunted, "Speaking of, did you have to clock me so damn hard?" he asked as he opened and closed his mouth a few times, stretching his jaw.

Buffy approached him, and patted him on the cheek gently, "Consider us even now." she cooed, then quickly slipped into the nearest alley, to return to Giles'.

~o~

Angel had watched the entire fray from across the street, through the cover of some overgrown trees. He'd nearly jumped into the brawl when he saw Dustin take off with the case, but lingered back when he saw Buffy take off after him, followed soon after by Spike. He didn't know why he'd worried about her being on her own, she'd fought without him for nearly eighteen years. Perhaps it was that they'd been thrown back into a situation so similar to the one they'd been in when she was young and had only first been called. If this body-swap stuck, she would have her whole life ahead of her again, and he figured her young appearance was causing him to be protective, just as it as doing with Giles. With a heavy sigh, he realized that he wanted to keep her safe, he wanted to make sure that she got to live this life to the fullest... hell, that she got to live, period. He knew what he had to do; whether he liked it or not, he had to put his feelings aside and make sure she had all the support she could to get through what was coming.

~o~

The following morning, Buffy leaned against her kitchen sink inhaling a bowl of cereal, she had had a late exam, but was on her way to meet the gang at the bookstore to see what Giles had discovered about the dagger she'd stolen from Dustin the night before. Her father sat at the small kitchen table, the paper spread open, but he wasn't reading it, he simply stared at her daughter as she shovelled yet another heaping spoonful into her mouth.

"Got somewhere to be?" he asked in amusement.

Buffy looked up as a small drop of milk dribbled down her lower lip. She grinned sheepishly as she wiped it away with the hand holding her spoon, and quickly finished chewing.

"Yeah, last-minute studying with some people." she lied.

Her father nodded, "You seem to be doing an awful lot of studying lately." he observed.

Buffy turned to drop her empty bowl into the sink while chewing her lip pensively, she hated lying to her father, but recalling how well the 'I'm a vampire slayer' discussion had gone with her mother the first time around, she wanted to avoid having it for as long as possible... if at all.

"I took some hard classes this semester, I'm pretty sure exams are gonna be brutal."

He nodded again, "Well, I'm glad you're working hard at least." he said.

Buffy smiled, as guilt bubbled up inside her belly, if only he knew how she was really spending her time, "Thanks Dad," she said, "Well, I should really get going, I don't want to keep everyone waiting!" and she turned towards the door to the hallway.

"One of these 'everyone's' doesn't happen to be a boy, does it?" he asked awkwardly.

Buffy turned back to look at him in puzzlement, "Well, there's Olly..."

"I was thinking more someone I haven't met yet." he continued.

Buffy cocked her head to the side, "I don't understand..."

He grinned, and sort of fiddled with the corner of the newspaper, "I was talking to Mrs. Morgan next door a little while back, and she said she saw you leaving the house with an 'extremely handsome young man' – her words, not mine."

Buffy thought for a moment, and then realized their neighbour must have seen her and Angel leaving the house for patrol a few weeks back, the night her father had worked late. Her heart sunk, "Oh, you mean Angel."

"Angel," her father repeated, "Is he someone special?" he asked.

Buffy tried her best to look nonchalant, but knew her father was always able to see right through her, "No, he... he's just a friend, sort of. No one special at all." she mumbled.

He studied her silently, a sorrowful look on his face, and Buffy looked away, she knew he could tell she was lying, "Right. Well, you shouldn't keep your friends waiting. Have a nice day sweetie, I'll see you at dinner." he replied, turning back to his paper. Buffy chewed her lip as tears welled in her eyes. She wished she could open up to her father, but as long as Slaying remained a secret, the subject of Angel had to remain one as well. How could she possibly make him understand how hard this was for her while keeping the key details hidden? She crossed back to her father and planted a kiss on his cheek, "See you later Dad." she whispered, the turned back to leave the house as she rubbed her eyes, thankful that her father wasn't one to pry.

~o~

Arriving at the bookstore, Buffy discovered Spike skulking on the upper level of the bookstore, away from the daylight shining through the windows, as Giles sat at the table, heavily scrutinizing the silver case which sat on the table in front of him.

"What's going on guys?" she asked, as she approached the table, casting a funny look at Giles, who'd yet to look up from the briefcase.

"It won't open..." he stated simply.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"It's locked, and I can't get it open." he repeated.

"Did Spike try?" Buffy asked.

"I'm a vampire, not a bleedin' cat burglar, for Christ sakes!" Spike retorted from the railing.

Buffy rolled her eyes, "Really guys?" she asked, as she grabbed the case from the table, and clutching either side firmly, pulled, until the lock broke with a loud snap.

"Show off..." Spike grumbled.

Buffy placed the briefcase back down on the table, sliding it towards Giles, who opened it the rest of the way. Inside, the case was lined with thick foam, and wrapped in a sterile white cloth sat a long, cross-like object. Giles lifted it gingerly, and unwrapping the cloth carefully, revealed an ornate bronze dagger.

"Cool!" Olly exclaimed as the shop door swung open, and he and Lily bounded through excitedly.

"So that's it? That's it, right?" Lily asked.

"Yes Love, that'd be it." Spike yawned.

The five studied the small weapon in silence, as the bell tinkled again, and Willow stepped inside, "Ooh, a shiny thing!" she chimed as she crossed to the table and took a seat next to Buffy, "So what can you tell us about it Giles?" she asked.

"Not much yet..." Giles muttered, his full attention still on the dagger in his hands, "Spike," he called, "You told us Dustin said the dagger was coming from Cairo, correct?"

"Yeah," Spike replied, "That's what he told me at least, why?"

"Well, as far as I can tell, this looks more like a weapon from Ancient Greece."

Spike shrugged from his perch, "I don't know, mate, it's what he told me!"

With a frown, Giles placed the dagger back down inside the briefcase, "I suppose I will research it further, see what I can discover about its history."

"Well why would we need to learn about it?" Olly asked, "As long as Dustin and his buddies don't have it, we're in the clear right? Spike said they can't open the Hellmouth without it."

"Allegedly, yes, you do have a valid point, but if we take the time to discover what exactly he requires the dagger for, we may be able to piece together the rest of Dustin's plans, as well as uncover exactly how dangerous this weapon could be. It may be imperative that we have it destroyed." Giles explained.

"I'll stay and help you Giles, I don't have to be at the University until the exams start." Willow said, as she reached into her shoulder bag and pulled out her laptop. "I'll start by searching museums in Cairo, see if any of them have a weapon like this in their collections."

"Well, great!" Buffy sighed, "because the three of us have to go cram for exams this afternoon."

Olly frowned, "Cruel, cruel, world... my brain is on information overload as it is."

Lily rubbed his arm comfortingly, "There, there Olly, it'll all be over soon." she encouraged him, as they turned towards the door.

"And then tomorrow night, we celebrate! Or more likely – at least in my case – drown my sorrows!" Olly cheered sarcastically as he escorted the two girls out to his car.

~o~

Buffy sat at her friends' regular table at The Orchard, watching Lily and Olly on the dance floor with a faint smile. Although Olly would occasionally break out into ridiculous dance moves, and Lily would laugh and slap him playfully on the arm, the goofy vibe would fall away every now and then, and Buffy could clearly see the gears turning as they both struggled with whether or not to show their attraction. A small shiver worked its way up her spine, and she glanced around the rest of the club quickly as she sipped from her soda. It was crowded tonight, mostly students celebrating the beginning of the summer, she would have to keep a watchful eye for any predators that may be out to prey on the unsuspecting and oblivious University students. Olly began to drag Lily through the crowd as they giggled, and climbed back into their seats with Buffy.

"Why don't you come and dance Buffy?" Olly asked, "I know you can't resist my smooth moves!"

Buffy grinned, "Thanks, but I'd prefer to put my slaying abilities to good use and protect our table." she joked.

"Ah, I wasn't aware table-thieves fell under the umbrella of forces of evil." Olly said.

"Oh, they definitely do, they're the worst kind." Buffy replied with a grin.

"Yeah, but you should celebrate too! Let loose, blow off some steam!" Lily laughed.

Buffy smiled at her friend, "Nah, I'm fine just relaxing."

Lily frowned, "But you've been dealing with so much lately, you know... you deserve to have some fun! Forget about-"

"Angel?" Buffy grimaced.

Lily's frown grew more pronounced, "No... that wasn't what I was going to say."

Buffy put her hand on Lily's shoulder sympathetically, "Guys, I know why you dragged me out tonight. I've been pretty brood-y lately, and I'm sorry." She said.

"You don't have to apologize, we get it, really." Olly replied.

"No, it's okay, really. I think having to fight Dustin on my own last night helped me realize it. I can do this without him... I've been doing this without him. As for any other feelings I have, well, I learned to deal with it once before, and I can do it again. I think I just convinced myself that we were both here for the same reason because it made this situation easier on me... but I have you guys, and Giles, Willow and Spike. If Angel doesn't want to be here, than it's okay, I'm strong enough to do it without him."

As Buffy spoke she failed to see that both Lily and Olly were staring off in the distance and something behind her, and a smirk suddenly appeared on Olly's face.

"Well, I think you're dismissing him a little too quickly there Ms. Slayer." Olly chuckled.

"Why do you say that?" Buffy asked with her brow knitted together.

"Because Angel's standing over there, staring at you." Lily explained, pointing towards the bar.

Buffy shivered again, then turning around to glance in the direction of the bar, discovered Angel leaning against the counter, his eyes locked with hers. Without turning back towards her friends, she slipped off her chair, and wove her way through the throngs of people towards him. He straightened as she approached him, but made no move to leave.

"Hi..." she muttered apprehensively once she stood in front of him.

"Hi." he replied.

"Come here often?" she joked, then blushed in embarrassment as she glanced down towards her feet.

"No, not really." He replied with a slight smirk.

Buffy looked back up at his face, and all the guilt she'd felt the last time they'd spoke came flooding back. "Why are you here?" she asked even though she was slightly dreading the response. She wondered if perhaps he'd come to scold her some more, and to tell her face to face that he was leaving town.

"To apologize." he explained.

Buffy studied him in confusion, "Why?" she asked, "I should be the one apologizing... actually, I am apologizing; I'm sorry."

Angel smiled sadly, "No, I'm sorry. I overreacted."

Buffy didn't respond, she was slightly shocked, and fighting valiantly to keep that flicker of hope from sparking again.

"I've been thinking about everything that's been happening Buffy, and I understand why you chose not to say anything... in fact, if the situation had been reversed, I probably would have done the same thing. You were just doing what you thought was best." he confessed.

Buffy nodded solemnly, it had been a long time since Angel and herself had talked openly about anything relating to their feelings, and it stirred up so much turmoil in her.

"It doesn't change anything though," Angel added. Buffy gave him a questioning look. "We still don't know how or why we're here... and there's still the clause... so - "

"This can't be anything." Buffy finished quietly.

"Right." Angel agreed.

Buffy bit the inside of her cheek to keep from grimacing at the injustice. It seemed Angel wasn't the only one who was cursed, she was as well. No matter what, they would just continue to be thrown together without any hope of reconciling their relationship. She wondered what they'd done to anger the Powers That Be enough to keep torturing them this way.

"So, partners?" Angel asked finally.

Buffy smiled vacantly, "Yeah. Partners." she replied reluctantly.

"Alright..." Angel began, taking his eyes away from Buffy momentarily to scan the crowd surrounding them. "Do you, um..."

"I should get going, my friends are waiting." Buffy interrupted hotly.

"Oh. Yeah, no problem." Angel replied, he looked crestfallen for a mere moment, before the expression was replaced with his usual mask of indifference. If Buffy had taken the time to study him more carefully, she would have noticed that his hand was clutching the bar counter with excessive force.

"I'll see you around, I guess." She said flatly, casting one last dejected glance towards him.

"Sure. See you." He answered.

With a nod, Buffy turned slowly and began to weave through the crowd as she headed back towards her table. This time, it would be her walking away without a second glance, it was tiring, letting him see how much he affected her. They were going to start fresh this time, they would fight evil, and that would be the end of it, just as it should have been from the beginning.

If she had bothered to turn around, however, she would have seen Angel's pain-filled eyes following her through the crowd, and the disappointed sigh that seemed to deflate him before he turned in the direction of the exit. By the time Buffy reached her seat, and decided to peer towards the bar out of the corner of her eye, he was gone; leaving Buffy to retell the exchange to an expectant Olly and Lily with a large lump caught in her throat.

_"Don't leave my hyper heart alone on the water  
Cover me in rag and bone sympathy  
Cause I don't wanna get over you  
I don't wanna get over you ..."  
- "Sorrow" by The National_

_~o~_

**I know, I know: 31 chapters and I still can't give Buffy and Angel a break! Joss taught me well didn't he? ;)**

**At least they'll be fighting together again, and there's still that pesky Gypsy lurking around, so who knows what might happen later on... (oooh! Dramatic suspense!)**

**Reviews make me smile.**

**Until next week!**


	32. Chapter 32: The Shores of Deceit

**Hello everyone! Hope you've all had a lovely weekend!  
I'd just like to warn anyone who works in the Medical field, or who just has a fair amount of knowledge of the Medical field, to not really scrutinize some of these happenings too carefully. I'm pretty sure myself that what I've written is nowhere near realistic or accurate... but hey, it's fiction and it's the Buffyverse, so I'm using my creative license to its fullest. Take it with a grain of salt if you need to.**

**I also feel like the chapters I'm posting this week are a bit more melodramatic than previous ones... maybe it's just me, but if they seem a touch over-the-top, I apologize.**

**And one final note to SMGBest: When I was naming Nadya, I went searching on websites for Romanian names, and it was one of the ones I found. I'm sure the website could have been wrong, but I thought it sounded like a good Gypsy name anyway, and I wanted to move away from what I've noticed a lot of other people have done and avoid using a name that started with a 'J'.**

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!  
**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

* * *

Chapter 32: The Shores of Deceit

Spike leaned casually against the large table in the warehouse as Dustin paced in front of him, growling quietly under his breath. It was evident he was trying his best to keep his composure, in front of Nadya, who sat quietly and gracefully in the corner, her eyes closed as she meditated.

"What do you mean, you lost it?" Dustin seethed.

Spike simply shrugged as he picked at the chipped black nail polish on his thumb. Old habits died hard, he figured, thinking how silly a man in his late thirties must look with a leather jacket and painted nails... but, once a badass vampire, always a badass vampire... "She came out of nowhere and tackled me to the ground, ran off with it... she's quite a feisty one, that Maddy, which I'm sure you've already figured out... I mean, if I hadn't distracted her, we'd be sweepin' you up off the street right now." Spike scoffed.

"I wonder how she found out about the dagger to begin with..." Dustin snarled as he leaned menacingly over Spike, "You wouldn't happen to be playing me, would you?"

Spike bubbled with laughter, "Oh please! Ye of such little faith!" Spike clapped his hand down on Dustin's shoulder, but he brushed it off in disgust.

"It is no matter." Nadya hummed from her seat in the corner, "I have skill enough to do the spell without the dagger."

Spike's eyes flashed with concern momentarily, which didn't go unnoticed by Dustin, "Really? Tell me more."

"The full moon is in two weeks time. We can perform the ritual then, at the caves." she explained.

"Very good..." Dustin mused, "You'll meet us here, before midnight," Dustin ordered Spike, "If the slayer catches wind of this, I want everyone there to protect Nadya."

"Aye, aye Captain!" Spike replied, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm feelin' a bit peckish, so I'll just be on my way." He rose from the table, and sauntered out of the room. He was a little hungry, yes, but his first stop was Giles' to tell him and Buffy the new development in the plan. He was suddenly relieved that the Great Poof had reconciled with the Slayer, it seemed that they would be getting their battle sooner than expected.

Dustin watched him leave with a wicked smirk on his face, he turned back towards Nadya, who had risen from her corner, and began to cross slowly towards Dustin carrying a small dagger in her hands, ornately carved with hieroglyphics. "Was the other dagger really necessary in all this...? The poor man you killed..." she asked with a frown.

"Spike needs to believe we trust him. Besides, researching that silly weapon will keep the Slayer's team occupied long enough for us to dispatch of her." Dustin replied, stroking her cheek lightly. "Don't worry, my dear Gypsy Princess, two weeks from now, the Slayer will be out of my way, and you will finally be able to fulfil your duty to your people." He took the dagger from her, and delicately ran his fingers over the carvings with a dark expression in his eyes.

Nadya looked away from him, and with her brow creased in worry, returned to sit in her corner to call to her spirits for guidance.

~o~

Buffy ducked as a powerful punch flew over her head. Steadying herself, she arced her leg around in a graceful roundhouse kick, but her opponent backed away, only feeling the rush of wind pass his body instead. He blocked her next few punches expertly, as though he knew her moves in his sleep, then thrust his open palm towards her face. She caught his hand between hers, then used his momentum to throw him to the ground. Pulling a stake out of the back of her jeans, she lunged towards him with her arm raised to strike, but he caught her wrist, and flipped her over him. She tucked herself into a roll, and landed expertly on her feet once more, before turning to face him as he used his hands behind his head to propel himself back to a standing position. His leg lashed out in a kick, which she effortlessly ducked, before continuing to spiral downwards, with her leg extended to sweep his out from underneath him. He fell with a heavy thud, and Buffy climbed on top of him, her legs straddling his waist, and her hand pinning down his chest.

"Slayer: two, vampire: zero." She cheered with a triumphant grin.

Angel winced, before grinning back at her, "I let you win that one..." he groaned.

"Uh-huh, you weren't trying at all." Buffy replied sarcastically.

They immediately fell silent, as it dawned on the pair that Buffy was still perched on top of Angel, her hand lying delicately over his un-beating heart. She clambered off of him rather ungracefully, and turned away as she ran a hand through her hair. Angel jumped to his feet, and removed his jacket, busying himself with brushing away all the bits of grass stuck to it.

It had been an awkward past couple of weeks. Buffy and Angel had resumed their old patrolling routine, but to the surprise of neither one of them, they refrained from mentioning what had occurred in the cemetery all those weeks ago, or from discussing the events that had brought them both to Braebrook. They both recognized a familiar look of exhaustion in each others' eyes, a reluctance to rehash what had already been. A desire to keep from re-opening old wounds, perhaps, and so the duo found it more comforting to fall back on old habits, and ignore the elephant in the room for them; which was their once more growing feelings for each other.

Once she'd gained her composure, she turned back towards him, "Well, at least we're getting a bit of a workout, he's been like a ghost town the past few nights."

"Dustin must have everyone preparing for whatever's going down tomorrow." Angel replied as he slipped his jacket back on.

Buffy leaned against a nearby tomb, "That's really comforting..." she muttered.

"Don't worry, we'll get there before them and put a stop to it." he assured her, as he moved to stand across from Buffy, his arms crossed in front of himself protectively.

"When did you get so optimistic?" Buffy teased as she pushed herself away from the tomb, and began to walk deeper into the cemetery alongside Angel, "I just don't understand what the caves could possibly have to do with any of this, I thought all the action was going to be taking place over there." Buffy pondered aloud, nodding in the direction of the angel monument, whose wings could be seen stretching out just above the tops of the trees.

"There must be something they need down there. But I think it's important that we don't stress over it, Giles and Willow are researching everything, we need to keep a level head for the battle." Angel responded coolly.

"I know, but they've got so much stuff they're looking into, it must be wearing them out..."

"Don't feel guilty Buffy," Angel assured her.

"Hello pot, I'm kettle." Buffy quipped.

Angel sighed in frustration, he knew Buffy's nonchalance often meant she was truly hurting, but in light of what he'd said at the Orchard two weeks prior, he found it hard to not think it was yet another attempt at pushing him away emotionally. He couldn't figure out why it bothered him so much, it had been years now that he had lived with the knowledge that they could never be together, but since mysteriously awaking in Braebrook he found it increasingly harder to listen to his voice of reason. "Buffy," he began, grabbing her arm and turning her, forcing her to look at him, "Your friends are helping you because they love you and they want to. You can't forget that."

Buffy looked slightly shocked and saddened by Angel's words, "I know." she replied simply. She continued to stare up at him, unmoving, looking as though something else was on the tip of her tongue, but she remained silent instead. Angel slid his hand down her arm, and their fingers parted reluctantly.

"You should go home and get some rest for tomorrow. I'll do another sweep alone." Angel said, balling his fists at his sides as he often did when he was frustrated.

"Are you sure?" Buffy asked, shaking herself out of her daze.

"Yeah."

Buffy nodded, and reluctantly left Angel's side, "Be careful." she stated simply before disappearing into the shadows, leaving Angel to trudge onwards with only his inner turmoil to keep him company.

~o~

Willow slipped through the door of the small Wiccan shop located just at the edge of downtown. It had surprised her at first that a small, quiet town like Braebrook would have a shop of this sort, not that she wasn't delighted, but as soon as Buffy had reappeared, and all of the Hellmouth-y occurrences had picked up again, she found it quite understandable. Heading towards the counter, the shopkeeper cast her a friendly smile as she finished up with the petite brunette who was standing at the cash register. She was handed a large book, and a small paper bag, and after thanking the woman, spun around quickly, nearly running right into Willow. With wide eyes, Willow looked down at the tiny teenage girl, clutching her book to her chest as though it were a shield: it was Lily.

"Lily? What are you doing here?" Willow demanded.

"I... um... well..." Lily stammered.

Willow looked down at the book Lily grasped as though her life depended on it, and read the title, "_The Black Arts_? Are you out of your mind?"

"I just wanted to help! Olly's been fighting with Angel, Spike's doing all that double-agent stuff, Giles is a well of knowledge, you're some sort of all-powerful sorceress... I feel like the odd man out!" she cried.

Willow frowned, "It's nice that you want to do something for Buffy, but dabbling in dark magic by yourself is dangerous, things could go terribly wrong." she said sympathetically.

"Didn't you learn on your own?" Lily replied.

"Yes, and I made lots of things go terribly wrong..." Willow muttered.

Lily sighed, "I just... I just don't want to be the only one who's helpless."

Willow chewed her bottom lip as she studied the young girl. She knew Buffy would have her head if she found out, but she remembered when she'd first started helping Buffy, how horrible she felt sometimes knowing that Buffy was out every night risking her life to keep her and Xander safe, and there was nothing she could do to help. "Okay look, I'll teach you, but you don't utter a word to Buffy until you've got some half-decent skills under your belt, alright?" Willow said.

"You mean it?" Lily asked as her face lit up brightly.

"I mean it."

"Thank you! This means so much to me!" Lily exclaimed.

Willow smiled, however, inside she was wondering if she was about to make a huge mistake. Glancing once more at the large book in Lily's hands, she snatched it away, and turned back towards the shopkeeper, "We're going to be returning this."

~o~

Late that evening, Giles and Willow sat in the back office of the bookstore busying themselves with whatever they could as they waited for Buffy, Angel, and Spike to return. Spike was currently on his way to meet Dustin at the warehouse, while Buffy and Angel had gone directly to the caves to hopefully intercept Dustin before he could begin the ritual. With the limited information Spike had given them, they could only hope that sending Buffy and Angel out to battle was enough to avert whatever could be coming. Giles was taking the opportunity to look through some of the ancient scrolls the Council had sent him upon informing them that Buffy had been mysteriously transported into another body. Most of the writings were turning out to be texts from ancient religions, and were proving to be mostly useless, however he pressed on, knowing it must be agonizing for Buffy, and now Angel as well, to still have no answers.

Willow on the other hand, sat at Giles' desk with an enormous stack of final exams at her side. After tossing another onto her 'finished' pile, she rubbed her eyes, and decided it was time to take a short break. Flipping open her laptop, she navigated to the local newspaper's home page. Preparing for the end of the school year, coupled with spending her evenings helping in the battle against evil left her very little time to keep up on current events. As the page finished loading, and Willow scanned the title of the first news story that popped up her face drained of colour, and a deep sense of foreboding began to grow in the pit of her stomach.

"Oh God... Giles..." She whispered.

"What is it Willow?" he asked.

"The dagger... it's not from Cairo."

"What?" Giles crossed the small office quickly, and standing over Willow's shoulder began reading the article along with her.

"It was reported stolen from a museum in Toronto a few weeks back... the man Dustin killed when Buffy took the dagger from him was identified as the curator of the Ancient Greece exhibit, he was their prime suspect for the theft since he disappeared after the dagger went missing."

"Does it say what the dagger was used for?" Giles asked hastily, excited that they at last had a lucky break with this mysterious dagger, and confused by Willow's reaction.

"Nothing... it was just an example of Ancient Grecian weaponry." Willow replied shakily.

"Then why would..." realization dawned on him, and Giles didn't like what Willow was implying, "Oh dear..." he murmured.

"It's a fake Giles." Willow swallowed, "We were set up."

~o~

Spike strolled into the warehouse casually, but quickly became confused as he scanned the room to find it completely devoid of life – or un-life.

"Hello? I'm here for the Apocalypse...?" he called out.

There was no answer.

"Bloody hell..." he grunted, "They left without me!" he spun back around, to find one of Dustin's men blocking the exit.

"Ah! There's my welcomin' committee! Where the hell is everyone, mate?" he asked.

The lackey chuckled, and remained standing in the doorway, "They were on to you from the start, pal." he spat.

"Beg pardon?" Spike asked.

"The Gypsy chick knew you were batting for Team Slayer all along..."

Spike began to feel a bit queasy, and he didn't like it. Perhaps he should have mentioned to Willow or Giles that Dustin had a Gypsy Sorceress working with them, maybe they would have told him that she could sense he had a soul... His thoughts quickly flew to Buffy, had he put her in danger?

"Where's Dustin off to then? Not man enough to confront me himself?"

"Dustin's gone to end the Slayer, and he left me here to take care of you." he growled as he leaped at Spike, but the battle was over quickly, Spike managed to knock out the lowly minion with one solid punch. Clearly Dustin had underestimated him. He stood over the unconscious vampire for a few minutes, digesting the new information, when it dawned on him that Buffy and Angel were heading to the caves with the expectation that they would be interrupting a ritual – not fighting for their lives. "Shit!" he muttered, and left the warehouse sprinting.

~o~

The rhythmic lapping of the waves against the shoreline was soothing in contrast to Buffy and Angel's moods. They walked in silence, carrying their weapons with them, as they surveyed the stoney cliffs that the graveyard was perched on top of. The small caves had been hollowed out eons ago, when the sea levels were much higher, and were mostly used now by teenagers looking for a place they could drink and hide from the police. Buffy found it hard to believe that there could be anything of value hidden in any of them, but decided it was better to not find out the hard way.

"Which one do you think it could be?" Angel asked quietly, as he peered into the dark mouth of one of the caves.

"I don't know... they all look the same to me." she sighed, "Maybe we should just find a place to lay low, wait until Dustin arrives." she suggested as they continued down the shoreline.

"You won't have to wait that long, my dear Slayer." a voice echoed from the darkness of the cave they'd just passed in front of. Buffy and Angel both turned, to see Dustin sauntering slowly out from its inky black opening, accompanied by none other than the young gypsy woman who had captured Angel. Buffy stepped protectively in front of him, brandishing her battle axe.

"Angel, I want you to run." she whispered.

"I'm not leaving you here by yourself." he replied.

"That would be a wise choice, my friend." Dustin chuckled, as about twenty or so vampires came pouring out of the caves on either side of them, cutting off their escape.

"_Inapoi la pamant_" the gypsy chanted, and both Buffy's and Angel's weapons crumbled to dust in their hands. Casting a worried glance at each other, they raised their fists into a fighting stance, and circled back to back as Dustin's men began to close around them.

"Let's go boys." Dustin drawled, and the vampires lunged at the two warriors all at once. They managed to land a few good hits, and push a few of their attackers back, but it didn't take long for the minions to overpower them, and drag them back towards the mouth of the cave where Dustin and the gypsy still stood.

Buffy kicked at the air, and wrestled to rip her arms away from the vampires who held her, she couldn't let Angel be handed over to the Romani. As Buffy drew closer to Dustin, his grin grew wider, and he pulled a small dagger from the side of his boot. Buffy was no expert in ancient relics, but she could recognize that the detailed carvings down the side of the blade were clearly hieroglyphics. Rage began to burn inside her, and she angrily lunged forward at Dustin while her captors struggled to keep her restrained.

"You set us up!" she seethed, "You had the real dagger all along..."

"You're a lot more clever than your friend Spike, I'll give you that much." Dustin taunted, waving the blade in her face menacingly. Buffy heard a threatening growl from behind her, and the sound of scuffling as Angel struggled against the vampires who held him. Dustin turned to Angel, the mocking smile still plastered on his face, "Don't worry Angel, I'm not going to kill her, I'll leave that to you." he sneered.

With the blade flashing in the moonlight, Dustin slammed the dagger into Buffy's forearm, and dragged the blade all the way down to her wrist. She opened her mouth to scream in pain, but no sound came out. Dark spots began to swim in her vision as the pain grew, and her ears began to ring. Warm rivulets of blood began to drip from her fingertips and collect between the pebbles below her feet. She could faintly hear Angel roar, and thought she saw him throw one of the vampires, before two more tackled him.

"Throw them in the cave!" Dustin bellowed, and Buffy felt herself being dragged towards the darkness of the cave before being thrown unceremoniously to the dirt floor. With her injured arm pressed into her chest, she shakily propped herself up on one arm just in time to see Angel get punched in the face by one of the vampires, and shoved into the darkness with her. Silhouetted by the moonlight, Buffy could see Dustin and the Gypsy still standing at the mouth of the cave.

"Seal it." Dustin ordered her.

"What?" she asked, horror clearly evident in her voice.

"You heard me, seal it shut."

"But you said I could have Angelus..." she whispered.

"You will. You can come and get him in a couple of days, once the Slayer is dead."

She shook her head violently, "I will not kill a human being."

Dustin grabbed her roughly by the throat, "Seal it!" he hollered.

Shaking, the Gypsy turned back towards the opening of the cave, and chanted something in Romanian. The ground began to shake, and the mouth of the cave slowly became narrower and narrower. She cast a sorrowful look at Buffy as the entrance began to disappear, and at her side, Dustin held up the dagger, still covered in her blood, with a twisted grin on his face.

"Thanks for your contribution to the ritual," he laughed, and then his image was swallowed by darkness.

"_Damned is the dawn of a new day  
Reflections of death and despair  
Frost misty waters around me  
Frantic and naked the fear"  
- _"Blücher" by Kamelot

~o~


	33. Chapter 33: Shadow Puppets

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

* * *

"_Darkness, Darkness  
Hide my yearning  
For the things I cannot see  
Keep my mind from constant turning  
To the things I cannot be"  
__- _"Darkness, Darkness" by Robert Plant

Chapter 33: Shadow Puppets

Buffy lay on her back in the pitch black of the inside of the cave. Her arm throbbed with each beat of her heart. It felt heavy and sticky, it made her sick to her stomach. A small sob escaped her lips as she tried to move her hand, and an intense pain shot up to her shoulder.

"Buffy?" came a whisper through the darkness.

"Angel?" she whimpered, she didn't move, she couldn't see a thing. She heard a bit of scuffling, and when Angel spoke again, he sounded like he was closer.

"Can you see?"

She shook her head, then groaned, realizing he couldn't see her, "No."

"It's okay, I'll help you." He said, this time sounding like he was kneeling right beside her. She felt an arm snake around her shoulders, and begin to lift her to a sitting position. A hand grabbed her uninjured arm, and pulled her gently to her feet.

"Right... vampire senses..." She muttered, as she let Angel lead her to the side of the cave, and helped her to sit leaning against the wall. She heard rustling next to her, then the sound of fabric ripping.

"Take off your jacket." Angel urged her softly.

Buffy managed to wriggle her left arm out of her jacket sleeve, before propping up her right arm so Angel could slowly slip her bloodied and torn sleeve over her injury. Buffy winced as the wet fabric clung to her skin, then heard Angel toss the ruined garment aside before beginning to tightly wrap what Buffy could only assume used to be his undershirt around her arm, tying it tightly in place.

"Keep it elevated." Angel murmured, as he slipped his button-down back on, then moved to sit next to her against the wall.

Buffy folded her arm into her chest, her elbow cradled in her opposite hand, the fist of her wounded arm tucked under her chin. "Thank you," she whispered. She could already feel the makeshift bandages beginning to soak through with blood, but it was better than nothing, and it may buy her some extra time.

Angel remained silent for a long time, Buffy sat with her eyes closed, listening to the sound of herself breathing, reassuring herself that she was still alive.

"How are you feeling?" he asked finally.

"Weak... a bit light-headed." she replied. She heard Angel sigh.

"Everyone knows we're out here, someone will find us soon, don't worry." he assured her.

"But there's no door... they can't get to us."

Buffy heard Angel rise to his feet, and his footsteps fade away in the direction of where the entrance used to be. He felt his hand along the wall, it was solid, there wasn't even a crack where the mouth used to be. He swore he could feel bile rising in his throat as his stomach twisted and knotted in fear. How would anyone find them? Especially within enough time to get Buffy to a hospital. He pounded his fist angrily against the stone, she didn't need to know it was looking like there was no hope. "It's okay," he called to her, "Someone will find us."

~o~

Spike's feet thundered over the pebbles covering the shoreline, as far as he could see, the stretch of beach where the caves were located were completely deserted.

"Buffy?" He called, not really caring if he was discovered anymore. "Angel?" He came to a stop directly in front of the row of caves, "Dustin! Show yourself!" He hollered, but received no answer, he was too late. He prayed that maybe even the information he'd given Giles had been false, that Buffy and Angel had arrived at the caves and found nothing, then decided to return to Giles'. "Bollocks, bollocks, bollocks!" Spike grumbled, slamming a fist down against the stones of the cliff in frustration. He turned around and began to jog back in the direction from which he'd come, hoping when he arrived at the bookstore he'd find Buffy and Angel there safe and sound.

~o~

Buffy's eyes had adjusted slightly to the darkness. She still couldn't see well by any means, but she could just barely make out the shadowy outline of Angel pacing in front of her. Her head lolled to the side slightly, she felt so tired, so weakened, she wondered if she would even have any strength to fight if Dustin returned. She had no concept of time, but she knew it had been ages since Angel had sat still, and knew it could only mean bad things.

Angel was agitated, he had been so concerned with Buffy's well-being at first that he hadn't even noticed, but the longer they'd been trapped in the completely sealed cave, the more the smell of blood wracked his senses. He needed to distance himself, find a way to keep occupied... yet it was killing him to not be by Buffy's side. She was in pain, suffering, and if they didn't get out of here soon, possibly on the way to losing enough blood to die. Besides, she wasn't stupid, she would catch on eventually. He saw her droop slightly, and rushed to kneel in front of her, "Buffy..." he whispered.

"Hmmm?" she moaned.

"Talk to me." he begged, his voice wavering.

"I feel so tired." she murmured. She blamed it on the blood-loss, but she just felt like weeping, it had been a long time since she'd felt this helpless, and she could swear she was beginning to feel a chill in the air. She wondered how well Angel's vision was in darkness, and hoped he couldn't see the tears gathering in her eyes.

"Just stay strong, alright?"

Buffy could faintly see Angel fidgeting in front of her. She wondered how much the blood was affecting him, in fact, it was one of the first thoughts to cross her mind once the cave had sealed. She knew he would never touch her, but the fact that she was torturing him was making her inevitable death all the more agonizing.

"Angel, when's the last time... the last time you fed?" she asked hesitantly.

He quickly jumped to his feet and began pacing again, "Don't Buffy." he growled.

"I think it's a valid question when I'm bleeding all over the place." she snapped, then immediately regretted it. "I'm sorry." she sighed.

Angel remained quiet.

"Do you... need to?" she asked hesitantly.

Buffy was sure she heard Angel growl under his breath, "For God sakes Buffy..."

"Sorry, I just figured I'd offer before it gets cold." she chuckled darkly, trying her best to conceal the fact that she was terrified no one would find them in time.

Angel froze in his tracks, the same impulse to wretch as he'd had earlier rose in him again, "Don't talk like that, you'll be fine." he croaked.

"You don't know that... if Dustin comes back, one of us needs to be strong enough to fight, and it definitely won't be me."

Angel rushed to Buffy's side suddenly, and took her face gently between his hands. "You're not dying in here, do you hear me?" he stated firmly, "You won't... you can't." he added quietly, his voice breaking despite his valiant attempt to remain strong.

His cracking composure shattered what strength Buffy had left, and the tears she had been fighting back began to spill down her cheeks, "I'm so cold Angel, I'm so cold and tired..." she whimpered. She saw his shadowy form rise in front of her, and retrieve his coat from where he'd tossed it earlier. He returned to her side, and gently tucked it around her before sitting next to her again.

"Thank you..." she sniffled.

A deep sense of dread washed over Angel as he watched Buffy shivering underneath his jacket, her teeth slowly beginning to chatter. He felt his resolve to keep his distance from her emotionally fade as the severity of her wound became more clear to him. The pungent smell of blood hung thick in the air, he could tell without seeing that she'd already lost a lot of it. He reached around her shoulders carefully and pulled her gently into his arms with her back leaning against his chest.. She groaned quietly, then nestled her head underneath his chin with a weak, but contented sigh. Taking her good hand in his, he clutched it tightly, too afraid to put any pressure on her elsewhere. She barely squeezed back, her hand trembling from either the cold or her lack of strength. Neither one of them spoke as they took momentary comfort in each others touch. Despite the minimal physical contact they'd had in these new bodies, there was something oddly familiar and soothing about being in each others arms again. As she feebly pressed herself further into Angel's embrace, she began to wonder what would be occurring between them if she hadn't been injured, perhaps Angel was just feeling sorry for her.

"Angel?" she murmured.

"Yeah?"

"Why... why did you come back?" she asked.

Angel tensed slightly, Buffy could tell he was puzzled by her question, "After Spike told you who I was... why did you come back?"

He sighed, and rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand, "The same reason I would show up anytime you'd call me; I care about you too much to let you face this on your own."

Buffy smiled sadly, and tried her best to squeeze his hand affectionately, but her fingertips were beginning to go numb. Her eyelids felt so heavy...

"I would come back too..." she whispered, "for you..." she began to panic as she found it harder and harder to form her words.

"I know," Angel soothed as he gently stroked her hair.

She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, then reopened them, blinking a few times and hoping it would wake her up a bit. She had died three times now, but all had seemed quick and relatively painless in comparison to this. She could feel her provisional bandages were drenched, and the whole front of her shirt was sticky with drying blood,. The only thing making this even the slightest bit bearable was Angel's presence. As the fear that she wasn't going to make it began to gnaw at her, she knew she couldn't let herself slip away this time without confessing to Angel how she really felt, regardless of what they'd just recently decided their relationship should be.

"Angel, I-"

She was interrupted by a tremor in the cave, and the wall began to split open slowly, the remaining moonlight pouring into their dark void. A lithe female figure stepped through the opening and into the cave; it was the Gypsy. The duo eyed her suspiciously, as Angel clutched Buffy's weakened frame protectively. As the young woman's eyes fell on the sight of them, she smiled slightly in relief.

"I knew you would not hurt her." she said.

"Don't touch her." Angel growled.

The Gypsy raised her hands in surrender, "I haven't come here to hurt you."

"Then you're a bit early," Buffy choked, "I'm still kicking... though barely."

The woman sighed, and stepped to the side of the cave's mouth, "If you go now, there's enough time before sunrise for you to get her to a hospital."

Angel's eyes narrowed, "Why are you helping us?"

She cast her gaze to the ground, shame was painted plainly over her features. "I went to Dustin with hopes that he would be able to help me capture you... but I see now that the price is too high."

"What do you want with him? He still has his soul, why are you here?" Buffy demanded weakly.

"His soul was not restored to this body by our magic," she explained, "There was something else at work... it was a gift. My people cannot allow him to stop suffering for his crime against us, so they sent me here to lift his soul, and replace it with our curse."

The young Gypsy's revelation washed over Buffy and Angel like a tidal wave; could it be that the one thing truly keeping them apart was gone?

"There's no curse?" Buffy whimpered, "He can't lose his soul?"

"From the difficulty I had trying to remove it, I would say yes." she answered.

Angel sat in stunned silence, his eyes wide, his mouth hanging slightly agape. It was almost too good to be true. After struggling all this time, refusing to let himself feel anything other than remorse, denying himself the one thing he truly wanted more than anything else in his two-hundred-plus years, he almost refused to believe it.

"I cannot justify cursing someone who fights for good. I can only hope my people will understand." she looked over Buffy, who was fighting valiantly to keep her eyes open, "You must get her help, go quickly now, before Dustin realizes I'm gone."

Angel snapped back to reality, and scooping Buffy into his arms, rushed out of the cave.

"Angelus." the Gypsy called.

He turned back to face her.

"I know my actions tonight will have dire consequences... promise me that whatever Dustin does, you will not let me shame my people further." her expression was sombre, like someone staring death in the face.

"I promise..." Angel muttered, and she was gone, just as she had vanished in the crypt.

Angel scanned the shore quickly in shock, then blinking a few times to gain his bearings, hurried quickly back towards town, moving as quickly as he could with Buffy fading fast in his arms.

~o~

**Finally! Angel knows the truth, but Buffy's clinging to life by a thread! What will happen next?  
... I sound like the narrator at the end of a retro Batman episode... **

**Clearly, I have no idea how long it would take someone to bleed out with a wound that big. I'm going to guess that I greatly exaggerated the amount of time Buffy lasted in there, but she's the Slayer, I feel like in the fanfic world she's exempt from the norm when it comes to the laws of medicine.**

**Now, I'm going to be a little bit mean and leave you all to stew for a week before you can find out what Buffy and Angel are going to do with this little revelation.**

**Until then! ;)**


	34. Chapter 34: On The Mend

**So, I've just edited this chapter because of something SMGBest mentioned in the reviews. Originally I'd named Buffy's father Nathan, but changed it to Daniel afterwards because I thought it suited another character better (he hasn't shown up yet). Apparently I left in a "Nathan" that I missed... so thank you SMGBest... I really need to stop speed-reading!**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

~o~

"_You in the dark  
__You in the pain  
__You on the run  
__Living a hell  
__Liv__ing your ghost  
__Living your end  
__Never seem to get in the place that I belong  
__Don't wanna lose the time  
__Lose the time to come"_

Chapter 34: On The Mend

The birds chirped cheerfully in the trees as Buffy reclined in a beach chair on the patio of her backyard next to the pool, and the heat of the afternoon sun warmed her tired body. She'd been discharged from the hospital late that morning, and somehow managed to convince her father to go into work and leave her alone to rest. Although, at the moment she thought she could use someone around to help her turn the pages of her book, a task which was proving difficult with only one hand. Her right arm was currently strapped securely in a sling, and wrapped tightly in gauze after it had taken sixty-two stitches to close the wound. She panicked slightly when the doctor had told her to not partake in any strenuous activities until they were ready to take the stitches out, but she knew she could rely on Angel and Spike to pick up the slack for her when it came to patrolling, and she would just have to pray that Dustin didn't try anything in the next few weeks.

She slowly closed her book, and laid it on the patio table next to her as her thoughts drifted back to Angel. She hadn't seen him since she'd been rushed into the emergency room at the hospital, he must have been forced to head home before sunrise. Although it had been awhile since she'd had the luxury of enjoying the beautiful weather, she silently wished it wasn't so long until nightfall so she could see him. She desperately wanted to talk to him about what the Gypsy had said. Part of her was afraid she'd imagined the conversation with the young Romani woman, but she remembered her time in the cave with such clarity that she knew it had to be true. She wondered how he was taking the news, whether it had stirred up the same hope in him as it had in her... she sighed and pressed her good hand over her eyes. She couldn't let herself start thinking such things. The issues separating her and Angel were far more complicated than a silly happiness clause – or were they? She finally allowed herself to think back to everything they had gone through, Angelus' brief but devastating appearance in Sunnydale aside, it seemed that the rest of their problems stemmed from their constant need to pull back from each other, their inability to let themselves get lost completely in their relationship. Longing began to burn in the pit of her stomach, and she quickly snatched her book back up off the table. She needed to get her mind off of this, especially when she had no idea what Angel was doing with this sudden revelation.

As luck would have it, a distraction came as she heard the gate to her backyard creak open, and Giles calling softly from the side of the house, "M-Madeline?"

"Back here Giles!" Buffy shouted.

He rounded the corner, and his agitated and concerned expression melted significantly as soon as he saw her sitting rather contently in the sun, however the frown returned to his face once his eyes fell to her arm.

"My Dad isn't home by the way, you don't have to call me Maddy."

He nodded as he took a seat beside her, "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, Dustin missed the vein, I got lucky apparently." she shrugged.

"I would have come as soon as Angel called, but I thought perhaps you'd want to rest."

"You spoke to Angel?" Buffy asked hopefully.

"Yes, he called me as soon as he left the hospital, why?"

Her heart sunk, she was hoping maybe Angel had mentioned something about the Gypsy, that maybe Giles would have some wisdom that he could impart to her.

"No reason... I just didn't get to see him afterwards." she moped.

Giles studied her inquisitively, but didn't press the issue any further, "He mentioned that Dustin had the real dagger already, the one that must actually be from Cairo?"

She nodded her head, "Yeah, it was the one he cut me with... it had all these crazy hieroglyphics carved into it... and he thanked me for my 'contribution to the ritual' afterwards..." Buffy recalled in puzzlement.

"After he cut you?" Giles asked.

She nodded again. "My blood was all over the dagger."

"Interesting..." Giles mused.

"I'm glad my butchered arm is on your list of interests." Buffy gibed.

Giles shot her a look of slight distaste, "I meant that it seems he needs your blood for this ritual, it gives us something more to go on than just those pages."

"I'm teasing Giles."

"Yes, well, I don't find your near death experience to be very amusing, for your information." he snipped.

Buffy smiled slightly as he lost his composure, "I appreciate that you still care, even the fourth time around."

Giles' disapproving glare returned, "I'm glad you find dying so funny Buffy, that makes one of us."

"Maddy?" came a voice from the back door. Buffy turned to see her father standing there, a suspicious look on his face as he eyed the older man sitting with his daughter. Taking note of the man's discomfort, Giles rose from his seat.

"Dad, what are you doing home already?"

"I cut out of work early to check up on you..." he replied, never taking his eyes off of Giles as he approached, "Hello... Daniel Cross." he said, extending his hand.

"Rupert Giles." he replied, shaking it.

"Dad, Mr. Giles owns the bookstore I keep talking about." Buffy offered, trying to ease her father's tension.

"Uh huh..." he said.

"Yes, er... Madeline and her friends seem to be my only customers." Giles chuckled, in an attempt to lighten the mood, "When I was told of her accident I thought I would come see how she was doing."

"That's very thoughtful of you, but I'm sure she wants to rest, right sweetie?"

Buffy was baffled, and slightly amused by the evident battle of testosterone. Joyce Summers never seemed to have any problem with Buffy having Giles as a mentor, however perhaps she felt it made up for the lack of father-figure in Buffy's life. Seeing her Father so obviously threatened by the other man seemed alien to her.

"I'm fine Dad, really..." she replied, "But I'm sure you need to get back to the shop, right?" she asked, turning to Giles with an apologetic look on her face.

"Y-yes, you're quite right..." Giles mumbled, "Before I go however, I brought this for you, I know how you like mysteries." he continued, pulling a small novel from the breast pocket of his blazer and handing it to Buffy, "It's a first edition... take good care of it."

Buffy laughed softly, in another life she would have teased Giles mercilessly for gifting her with a book, however thanks to Madeline's lasting influence on her personality, she was thrilled to have another level with which she could relate to him. "_The Hound of the Baskervilles_, thank you."

"Yes... well, I wish you a speedy recovery." he said, "It was nice to finally meet you Mr. Cross." he added turning to Daniel with a polite nod of his head.

"You too..." Mr. Cross replied, and watched the other man depart with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Once Giles had rounded the side of the house, he turned back to his daughter.

"What's a man his age doing hanging out with a bunch of nineteen year-olds?" he grilled.

"Dad... come on. He's a nice man, completely harmless."

"Well, maybe that sort of thing flies on his side of the pond, but it doesn't over here."

"He's just lonely, he has no family, and he hasn't been here long enough to make friends." Buffy lied, "Besides, I hang around with Professor Rosenberg and you don't seem to have a problem with that."

"Well, she's a woman." he huffed. Then calming himself slightly he took Giles' seat next to her, "Have... have I not been doing a good job on my own?" he asked quietly.

Buffy frowned, "Daddy..."

"Because I've been trying. Yet you're hanging out with this Mr. Giles, you're out running around all night... getting stabbed!" he scolded.

"You're doing the best job Dad, really." she assured him, "Mr. Giles is just a kind person is all."

"Well, that still leaves the issue of why you were out all night!" he demanded, it seemed the concerned parent had melted away now that he was certain his daughter was on the mend, and instead the angry father wanted to know why she was sneaking out of the house after dark.

"I... um..." she wracked her brain, it had been so long since she'd had to make excuses and lies for being out slaying that nothing was coming to her. "I was with Angel..." she admitted finally, knowing that it was likely to still get her scolded.

"That boy Mrs. Morgan saw you with?"

She nodded. "But before you get mad, I probably wouldn't have made it if it weren't for him being there! He protected me!" it was not the entire truth, but she shuddered at the thought of being injured and left alone in that cave. She wondered if she would have lasted half as long without Angel there to comfort her, and care for her wound.

Her father's scowl faded significantly in light of her short speech. Buffy saw his eyes flit back to her arm briefly before he began to try and recall something from his memory, "He was the one who brought you to the hospital?"

Buffy nodded again, "You saw him?" she questioned.

"I did... but I didn't even speak to him, I was so flustered I barely registered he was there... and he slipped out so quietly."

She smiled sadly, "He probably just wanted to give us some privacy." That was Angel, always trying to do the right thing...

"Well, I guess I'd like to thank him, how would you like to invite him over for dinner or something-"

"That's not such a good idea." she interrupted.

"Why not?" Daniel asked.

"We're... I'm not sure... it's just complicated." she sighed. She didn't want to talk about Angel anymore, not until she'd talked to him.

Mr. Cross sighed, "Maddy, I know you probably don't want to talk about this with me, but you know what your mother would probably say about this situation: just get over your fears and go for it."

Buffy sighed in return, and cast a thankful smile at her father, "I wish it were that simple, Dad."

~o~

Nadya's body hurdled through the air and landed on the large wooden table in the warehouse hard enough that it cracked the entire thing in two. She gasped, trying to catch her breath, and blinked as blood began to run into her eye.

"You did what?" Dustin snarled as he lifted her off the ground by her throat.

"I-I-I set them free..." she wheezed.

He punched her in the face again and she yelped, fighting to keep her tears from falling; she would die with honour, "I told you I would not murder an innocent."

He threw her to the ground, and kicked her in the ribs, "You realize, if I don't get what _I_ want, you won't get what _you_ want..."

"I can live with that." Nadya groaned, curling herself into a fetal position on the floor.

Dustin grabbed her by the hair, forcing Nadya to look him in the eye, "You will perform the ritual for me, or you will die." he threatened.

"No." she replied simply, her face set in stony resolve.

His face contorted into a sadistic grin, and chuckling he ran a finger down Nadya's cheek. "Foolish girl..." he cooed, "You don't realize how easily I can get you to go along with my plans." he twisted her head to the side, and clamped his jaw down onto her throat.

Her eyes filled with tears once more as Dustin's fangs tore through her flesh, and she prayed to the spirits that the Slayer and Angelus could battle what she now knew was inevitably coming, before the world began to fade away around her.

~o~

Buffy's father had made sure to stay up with her relatively late, it was as though he was worried if he turned his back she would sneak out and get herself killed. After Daniel Cross had nodded off in front of the television, Buffy woke him gently, and made sure he was sound asleep in his bed before returning to her room, determined to slip out and find Angel. She thought in her current condition the best option would be to run over to his apartment, and wait for him to come back from patrol. However upon opening her bedroom door she discovered she wouldn't have to travel very far, as she found Angel quietly pacing inside. He turned quickly once hearing the door creak open.

"Angel..." she exclaimed quietly in surprise.

Relief washed over his features as he took in the sight of her, and he impulsively rushed over to her and pulled her into a gentle embrace. Though she was taken slightly by surprise at first, Buffy relaxed into his touch, and allowed some of her previous worries to melt away. He slowly pulled away from her, and looking down at her bandaged arm in concern, lightly brushed his fingers over her shoulder.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Tired... but better." she whispered. "Thank you." she added, hoping he understood she meant it not only for him asking how she was, but also for being there for her the night before.

Angel's eyes were full of turmoil, as he led her over to sit on the edge of her bed, and took her hand in his. Buffy's stomach filled with butterflies, it had been so long since either of them had really allowed each other any physical contact, at least in an affectionate sense. The familiarity of Angel's cool touch made her feel like she really was a teenager again, but the expression painted on his face still worried her.

"How was patrol?" she asked, hoping Angel would bring up whatever was causing his grim countenance before she had to ask.

"Quiet... Spike thinks they must already know we've escaped and be planning something. Otherwise he seems pretty sure they'd be having a free-for-all."

Buffy nodded, and the pair fell into heavy silence as they clutched each others hand. She didn't really find it surprising that neither one of them wanted to bring up what was so evidently on their minds.

"Buffy, I... I did some thinking today..." Angel finally said.

"Oh?" she replied, her face a mix of apprehension and hope.

He sighed, pausing for a minute as he studied Buffy's face, before casting his eyes back down to his lap, "Yeah. And... once all of this is over, with Dustin and the Hellmouth... if we survive..." he trailed off, summoning all of his strength to finish the sentence, "I'm going to leave town."

Buffy stopped breathing, and she was certain the world had stopped turning as well. She couldn't form a coherent thought as Angel's words crashed down on top of her.

"Wh-why...?" she whispered finally, refusing to look Angel in the eye.

Angel swore if his heart was beating, it would be breaking right now, as he watched Buffy sit across from him, valiantly trying to digest his announcement with courage. "Because... I want to find out for sure if what the Gypsy told us was true." he explained. It was killing him to do this, but after everything they'd gone through, he wasn't taking any chances.

"What?" Buffy asked, finally looking up to meet his eyes. The suffocating sense of heartbreak and dread had ebbed slightly, but the thought of Angel leaving her again still left her cold.

"I'm going to go to Romania, and seek out her people. I want to ask her elders if what she said is the truth."

Buffy was clearly shocked, but she was also filled with a sense of worry, she wasn't sure the Romani would take Angel's presence well, after what his alter ego had done to them.

"That sounds dangerous Angel, what if they try to curse you again? I don't understand why-"

"Because I can't do this anymore Buffy," he whispered, they were squeezing each others hand so tightly now that it probably would have broken a normal human's bones as they sat with their eyes locked. Buffy felt flushed, and her heart pounded wildly in her chest, "The more time I spent with you, the-"

"Harder it gets..." she finished almost reluctantly, those words had become all too familiar to her over the years. She felt tears well in her eyes as Angel nodded sombrely.

"I need to do this," he continued softly, "If there's a chance that we can be together... really be together, and not have to worry what could happen if we lose control..." he took a moment to compose himself, "I need to know. I want to know for sure."

Buffy sighed, and nodded sadly as an unwanted tear slipped down her cheek. She knew he was right, and she knew she felt the same way, "I want to know too..." she agreed with a tearful smile that Angel returned before lifting his hand to gently wipe away her tear.

She took a deep breath to compose herself, "God, does this mean I'm going to have to patrol with Spike once you're gone?" she whined, in an attempt to lighten the mood, the tension in the air was palpable, they both knew how dangerous this journey could prove to be.

Angel chuckled, "Probably... or Olly could help out."

Puzzled, a crease formed in Buffy's brow, "What?"

Angel froze, like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar, "I, well, he sort of asked me to train him..." he admitted sheepishly.

"And you said no. Right?" Buffy asked sternly, her eyebrows raised.

"Well, not exactly." he replied hesitantly.

"You're a very, very bad person." Buffy scolded mockingly.

Angel only grinned apologetically, forcing Buffy to smile back at him. She looked down at their intertwined hands, and rubbed her thumb over the back of his palm gently. There was part of her screaming inside, on the verge of dropping to her knees and begging him not to leave her again. She was afraid for him; afraid that the Romani wouldn't take lightly to Angel being in their midst, and may try to finish what the young gypsy sorceress had come here to do. Afraid that maybe he wouldn't get the answer he wanted to hear... but the longing to finally be with him, and to finally be allowed to be _happy _with him... it was just too strong.

"What will I do when you're gone?" she whispered.

"You'll be strong, and you'll fight. Just like you always do."

She smiled at him sadly, feeling suddenly like battling Dustin and whatever he might call forth from the Hellmouth would be nothing in comparison to what she would be battling on her own after Angel left town.

"_Whatever you say it's alright  
__Whatever you do it's all good  
__Whatever you say it's alright  
__Silence is not the way  
__We need to talk about it  
__If heaven is on the way  
__If heaven is on the way"  
_- "Letting the Cables Sleep" by Bush

~o~

**I've thankfully never had to get stitches, so I don't know how accurate my count was... I was using a recent injury a friend had to ballpark how many stitches it would take to sew up a wound as big as the one Buffy had... I'm probably way off though! My apologies!**

**Originally, I wanted Buffy to have a father this time around because I'd wanted to explore a bit of the conflict it could cause for her to have two father figures... Unfortunately, this was as much of it as I managed to fit into the story, as the plot started to run away with itself, and I just couldn't find a way to work it in again. **

**Now, for Buffy and Angel, and the lack of happiness clause... I know you're all screaming at me through your computer screens, but Angel isn't exactly one to throw caution to the wind when it comes to his and Buffy's relationship, I thought it would only be fitting that he would try to get more of a confirmation before they take any chances. So just bear with me, I promise all the waiting will not only be worthwhile, but entertaining!**


	35. Chapter 35: Mulling Things Over

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

~o~

"_I close my eyes every night  
__And I dream that I can hold you  
__They fill us full of lies everyone buys  
__About what it means to be a soldier  
__I still don't know how I'm supposed to feel  
__About all the blood that's been spilled  
__Will God on his throne  
__Get me back home  
__On the day after tomorrow"  
__- _"Day After Tomorrow" by Tom Waits

Chapter 35: Mulling Things Over

When Giles had called Buffy the following day to ask her to come down to the bookstore, she was rather apprehensive. She knew she would end up having to answer everyone's questions about what had happened, and she hated when everyone fussed over her. Furthermore, she was still upset after her conversation with Angel the previous night, and felt more like spending her time alone, moping. After the initial glow of knowing that Angel still wanted to be with her had worn off, she was left with so many unanswered questions, ones that she dreaded asking him. She decided finally that maybe having everyone ask her a million questions about her poor shredded arm would be less torturous than sitting alone and letting her imagination run away with itself, thinking of all the horrible things that could befall Angel on his journey. As soon as she stepped into the shop, Lily shot out of her seat, and crushed Buffy in an overly enthusiastic hug.

"Ow..." she winced.

"Oh God, I'm sorry!" Lily apologized, "I was just so worried! You're okay right? You're gonna be okay?" she rambled.

"I'll be fine in a few weeks, don't worry." Buffy smiled. Olly remained a bit more composed than Lily did. Without speaking he hugged her gently, and gave her a friendly pat on the back, but Buffy could tell from the look on his face that he was clearly relieved to see her in one piece. She took a seat next to Willow, who smiled at her, and squeezed her shoulder affectionately. Buffy could see in her eyes that she was eager to talk to her, and surmised that Giles must have told her that it was Angel who came to her rescue.

"So what's the deal Giles?" She asked, hoping to turn everyone's attention to the matter at hand.

"Ah, yes." Giles began, "Well, once discovering that the dagger we had in our possession was in fact the wrong one, it sent me back to consulting sources dealing with Ancient Egyptian rituals... and I believe I may have found something."

"Well spit it out Giles, the clock's ticking!" Olly urged.

Giles shot him an irritated glance, "I found mention of a spell in the Book of the Dead, a spell that could be used to call back powerful spirits from the Afterlife."

"What does this have to do with the Hellmouth though?" Buffy asked, "And why does he need my blood for it?"

"Well, one of my sources made reference to a dark Priest who attempted to alter a spell from the Book of the Dead to overthrow one of the Pharaohs... it was said that he used a ceremonial dagger, and the blood of a warrior in his incantation." Giles explained.

"You think this warrior was a Slayer?" Lily asked.

"No... but I would suppose warriors are in short supply in these modern times..." Giles drawled.

"Regardless, if such a powerful spell was possible with just a warrior's blood, think about what a Slayer's blood could do in a similar ritual." Willow added.

"Right..." Buffy muttered thoughtfully, "But I still don't see what this has to do with the Hellmouth."

"It's my guess that Dustin is trying to use the spell to awaken the Guardian."

"Great," Buffy groaned, "So, when is all this supposed to be happening then? In case you hadn't noticed, I'm a little down for the count right now, so we need a plan, and a good one."

"That's why I called you here. As we may be pressed for time, Willow thinks she may have found a solution, or at the very least something to take some of the pressure off your shoulders, Buffy."

Willow smiled excitedly. It had been a while since she'd had to use magic to save the world, she was looking forward to something challenging again. ""I think I can create a binding spell. I'll need a bit of time to work out the kinks, but essentially, as long as we manage to catch them before anything crawls out of the Hellmouth, I can reverse anything they might try to do. You, Angel and Spike will just need to keep them distracted long enough for me to complete it, and then we'll have saved the day again!"

"That sounds great Will, how much time do you need?" Buffy asked.

"Well, I've got Lily helping me so-"

"I'm sorry, what?" Buffy blurted.

Lily's face drained of colour, and Willow clamped her mouth shut tightly, her eyes wide in horror as she realized what she'd just let slip.

"I mean... um..."

"Lily!" Buffy exclaimed.

"It's not... I didn't... you weren't..." Lily stammered, her face slowly turning a deep shade of red.

"I told you not to do anything that could get you hurt!" Buffy scolded.

"Buffy, relax, she just wanted to do something to help." Olly intervened.

"Don't you start Olly, I know your dirty little secret too!" Buffy exclaimed.

Olly's jaw dropped open, "He told you? That was supposed to be our secret!" he stammered, "What a jerk..."

"Look, I appreciate you wanting to help out, really, I do..." Buffy sighed, "I just don't want either of you at the front lines, you don't know what you'll be up against."

"Buffy, though I understand your rationale, I'm sure both Willow and Angel are taking every precaution to make sure they're prepared and safe." Giles interjected. He understood Buffy's irate reaction, however there were more pressing matters at hand.

Buffy glared icily at Giles, but her expression soon melted away as she realized Giles' words held some truth in them. She knew Lily and Olly were both in good hands, and that perhaps with Willow and Angel watching their backs, they wouldn't be in any immediate danger.

"Alright... but if either of you die, I'll kill you." she pouted.

"That sounds pretty redundant." Olly smirked.

Buffy rolled her eyes, and the gang got down to discussing the details of their plan. As it began to take shape, she felt a familiar buzz of excitement. She felt as though she were back in the old Library, hashing out a way to stop the next end of the world. Braebrook may not be home, but it was definitely starting to feel like it.

~o~

Angel stalked towards the cemetery, his hands stuffed deep into his coat pockets, his head down, completely lost in his own thoughts. He'd been in a rather foul mood ever since confessing to Buffy that he planned on leaving town. He'd stopped by to see her before heading over to sweep the cemetery, and it had been difficult to bear. The conversation had been rather strained; it was as though they'd both forgotten how to act around each other. As Angel replayed the encounter in his head, it began to drive him mad. He was starting to worry that Buffy was secretly resentful of him, but scolded himself silently as the thought crossed his mind. He knew it was most likely that she was feeling the same way he was; desperately wanting to give into temptation, but knowing they had to keep themselves restrained until they both had answers. He sighed heavily, the unknown did not become less infuriating with time. He was shaken unceremoniously out of his deep thoughts by Olly bounding towards him enthusiastically.

"Angel man! What's the what?"

Angel's brow furrowed, "Olly, what are you doing here?"

"Patrolling! I figured since you let our little 'agreement' slip in front of Buffy, that I could, you know, help out." Olly explained.

"I don't know Olly..."

"Aw, come on man! You're here! You can save my ass if I get into any trouble!"

"I don't need to be 'saving your ass' on top of trying to patrol."

"Come on! Just this once! If it goes badly I'll stay home from now on, promise!" Olly pleaded, "I even brought my own stake!" he announced proudly, holding up a thick tree branch that he'd sharpened crudely on one end.

"No, Olly, if something happens to you Buffy will kill me."

"No, it's fine! See, you can just skip town before she even finds out!"

Angel glared daggers at the younger man, and continued walking.

"Yeah, she told us about the little trip you're planning." Olly said, trailing Angel into the cemetery.

"And?" Angel grumbled. He really didn't mind Olly's presence, but the one thing that drove him mad was he didn't seem to know when to keep his nose out of Angel's business.

"Well – uh – "Olly stuttered. He could tell Angel was irritated, but in his mind he kept seeing Buffy's face when she broke the news to all of them earlier that day. She put on a brave front, she tried to be positive, but he could see right through her act to how discouraged she really was underneath. There had to be a solution other than Angel travelling across an ocean, right? "It's a little extreme isn't it?" he asked.

"No. I need answers, and I'm going to get them." Angel answered bluntly.

"Can't you just... I don't know... test the theory out or something?" Olly continued, "I mean what's the worst that could happen?"

"I could lose my soul. You wouldn't like me very much without a soul."

"How do you know I like you all that much now?" Olly teased.

Angel shot him a dirty look, but it was quickly transformed into a smirk when he saw Olly grinning at him mischievously.

"Aw, come on, it can't be that bad... can it?"

"Yes. It can. Just ask Willow what I did to her fish..." Angel muttered, kicking a pebble aside as he walked. He took a beat to think and a grimace appeared on his face, "On second thought, don't ask Willow what I did to her fish..."

"Well, now you've got me all curious!"

Angel kept walking, looking straight ahead and hoping maybe Olly would take a hint and turn around, but he continued to trail him.

Olly sighed, "I don't know man, it just seems like a giant cop-out! You're both young- well, sort of... she is at least- that's not the point; you're both here, and pretty much got the green light from that creepy gypsy lady, so what are you dancing around the issue for!"

"Do you really want to get into a conversation about 'dancing around issues' with me?" Angel chuckled.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean how much longer are you gonna dance around asking Lily out?"

"Like apples and oranges! Don't go changing the subject!"

"If anything you have even less of a reason to not be with Lily-"

"That's not even true!"

"Really? Have you had a Gypsy curse placed on you, that if it breaks you end up torturing and killing everyone she loves?"

"No..." Olly huffed.

"Like I said, less of a reason." Angel smirked.

Their disagreement was interrupted by the sound of a snapping twig behind them. Olly span around with what he believed was a fierce yell, his gnarled stake raised to strike.

"Oi! Watch where you're pointin' that thing, pal." Spike exclaimed, his hands in the air.

Olly's hand dropped back down to his side, an indignant look on his face, "Maybe you shouldn't be creeping around in the dark!"

"Vampire." Spike retorted, placing a hand on his chest, "Creepin' around in the dark is what I do best."

"You're late Spike." Angel interjected in an attempt to derail the bickering that was probably soon to erupt between his two new patrolling companions.

"Thought I'd swing by the industrial park, make sure all was quiet... you're welcome!" he cracked, "So what were you two ladies bickerin' about before I interrupted?"

"Angel's leaving town again." Olly explained.

"That's not what we were fighting about!" Angel snapped.

"Again mate? Bloody hell..." Spike shook his head, "Well, at least I'll be here to comfort poor Buffy this time..." he taunted, a large grin plastered on his face.

"Oh please Spike, as if that'll ever happen again." Angel scoffed.

"Hey, I'm quite a catch you know!"

"Really? The 80's called, Billy Idol wants his hair back-"

"Really Pal? The 90's called, they want their joke back-"

"I'm sorry, can we skip back to where you said 'this time'?" Olly interrupted. He turned to Spike, "You mean, you... and Buffy?"

"Yeah... she never mentioned anythin'?"

"I wouldn't have if I were her..." Angel smirked.

"After all the help I've given you over the years? Really Angel, that hurts." Spike pouted.

"Seriously Spike?" Angel groaned sarcastically.

"Alright, fine, I'll forgive you." he turned to whisper to Olly, "It's a touchy subject."

"You know, I'm doing this _for_ Buffy, so we can know for sure if we can actually be together... I'm coming back. Not that I have to explain myself to you." Angel grumbled.

"Right then! Well, cheers mate! But just know that if you don't come back, I'm pouncin' on that – you've been warned." Spike grinned as Angel glared daggers at him. "So, since that's settled," Spike continued, turning to Olly, "When are you finally goin' to quit wussin' out and go for that cute little Pixie, eh?"

"Oh good greif..." Olly groaned.

Angel just chuckled and continued walking.

~o~

**Sorry if the whole Book of the Dead thing seems hokey... I sort of have a mild obsession with Ancient Egypt. That aside, I thought it might be fun to try and tie some real-world stuff into the Buffyverse instead of just making up another spell book, or another prophesy.**

**The whole Angel/Olly/Spike scene was really just filler! I enjoy having them bicker, and I needed to add something to this chapter! :p**

**Reviews please?**

**Until next week!**


	36. Chapter 36: The Hard Truth

**I hope everyone had a lovely weekend, here are another two chapters!**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

~o~

Chapter 36: The Hard Truth

"I'm really glad you could make it Buffy," Willow said enthusiastically, as the two women walked into the magic shop, "I feel like we haven't really had time to talk the past couple weeks."

Buffy smiled at Willow, "I know, I've been kind of a recluse... but I finally got out of that stupid sling, and I'm gonna take my life back... oh God are those beaks?" she asked studying a row of small jars lining a shelf.

Willow nodded, but she knew Buffy better than that. She was sure the real reason Buffy had made herself scarce the past couple of weeks was because she was dealing with the knowledge that Angel was leaving again, and it was taking its toll on her emotionally. She'd seen Buffy jump into battle with serious injuries, it had never seemed to hinder her before; it was probably just an excuse to not have to spend so much time in his presence. "Well, it's good timing, because I should be ready for this spell by the end of the week." she said, picking up a small vial of liquid from a rack then continuing further through the rows of shelves.

Buffy nodded in response, and continued to peruse the strange containers silently. Willow frowned.

"Oh Buffy," She sighed, "It's been almost twenty years and it hasn't changed a bit..."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, puzzled.

"You have Angel-face."

It was Buffy's turn to frown, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Whenever something happens with Angel, you always get the same expression, I'd recognize it from a mile away." she explained gently.

Buffy sighed as she fingered a small Rune she picked out of a basket, "Am I that transparent?" she asked sheepishly.

"Only to me." Willow smiled, "So what is it?"

She chewed her lip, "I don't know... I mean, I get it... why he's leaving... I want to know the truth too, you know?"

"Of course! After everything you two have been through, who deserves a chance to be together more than you?"

Buffy blushed, "I'm just worried I guess."

"About what?"

"Well, what if I'm getting my hopes up for nothing? Or what if the Romani hurt him? They don't seem to be the most forgiving people..."

"That's a justifiable concern." Willow muttered thoughtfully.

"It's just hard... seeing him all the time, knowing that he'll be gone soon. Waiting is always the worst part." Buffy sighed.

Willow smiled sadly at her friend. Nothing seemed to come to her easily when Angel was involved, she couldn't imagine how heartbreaking it must be to have to constantly fight back feelings for someone you're so evidently in love with. "You just have to stay positive, I'm sure everything will work out."

"I just have so many questions... and I'm afraid of the answers."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for one, what happens if the Gypsy did lie?" Buffy asked apprehensively.

Willow scowled, "You mean, what does Angel plan on doing?"

"Exactly."

Willow's frown remained, as she took Buffy's hand, "Buffy, I know you and Angel like to skirt around the issue a lot, but you can only really get an answer to that question from him."

"I know, Will." Buffy sighed, "I think part of me may just be afraid of what that answer might be."

~o~

Buffy walked slowly towards the cemetery, her palms sweaty, and her heart racing. With every step she felt more and more like turning and running back in the opposite direction. It was her first night back on patrol, and she was determined to have Angel answer all her questions... however it was taking its toll on her nerves. As she approached the gate to find him standing there waiting, her stomach began to somersault; she couldn't do it, it was too stressful! She should be treasuring these last few weeks with Angel, shouldn't she? Not grilling him in order to ease her mind. Besides, ignorance was bliss, right? She sighed heavily, and quickened her pace, she couldn't put it off any longer, if she didn't find out now she would be kicking herself when Angel did eventually leave.

"Hi." she greeted him, smiling widely once she reached the gates.

"Hi." he answered, smiling back, clearly relieved that she'd made a full recovery in such a short time.

They fell into pace beside each other, but didn't say another word. The silence was palpable between them, it was as if they both already knew what needed to be said, but neither wanted to be the one to bring it up. Buffy scanned the cemetery, chewing her bottom lip nervously, as Angel continued to walk beside her, his head down as though he were intently studying the ground beneath his feet.

"So, um, how's Willow coming along with the spell?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Good! I think... she said it should only be about a week now..." Buffy replied eagerly, thankful for something to distract them from the unbearable silence.

"Good." Angel nodded.

Buffy's forced smile faded away as she mustered the courage to continue the conversation, "So... I guess that means you'll be leaving soon." she muttered.

Angel's expression quickly changed to match the one Buffy wore. He knew she would eventually bring this up again, but he was hoping it would wait until after the potential crisis was averted, "Yeah." He answered simply, he knew Buffy well enough to know there was no way to really soften the blow.

She nodded somberly, and cast her eyes to the ground, it was now or never; "Angel?" she began quietly.

"Yes?"

"I, um... I was just wondering..." she trailed off, unsure of how to broach the topic.

"About what?" he urged her gently, even though he wasn't sure he wanted her to finish the question.

"Well, if you find out the clause is still intact... if it turns out that she was lying – the gypsy, I mean – wh-what are you going to do?" Buffy held her breath as she waited in agony for Angel's response.

He sighed heavily. He dreaded having this conversation with her, he knew there was no way she would take it well. "Actually, I... I was thinking of maybe staying in England. I'm sure they could use my help at the Council since you're here now, and..." he trailed off once he looked up from the ground to see the look of pure heartbreak painted on Buffy's face.

"You... you're not gonna come back?" she whispered.

"No." he answered simply.

Buffy felt sick. After everything they'd been through; after being thrown into these bodies, in this new town, having to practically re-live their painful past, he was just going to run away. "Were you even going to tell me?" she asked, her devastation beginning to boil into rage.

"No." Angel sighed, "I was hoping you wouldn't bring it up."

Red flashed before Buffy's eyes, "So, you were just going to skip town, leaving me to hope that we were getting another chance, but secretly, you were _maybe_ never going to come back?"

"Buffy, please don't say it like that." Angel begged calmly, the last thing he wanted after everything she'd gone through the past few weeks was to distract her before a big battle.

"Yeah, doesn't sound very noble when you say it out loud now does it?" she spat.

"Don't. Please. I thought you would understand."

"Is this some sort of 'give me a chance at a normal life' sacrificial bullshit you're pulling again? Because honestly Angel, if you're still thinking a normal life is in the cards for me I think you should get your head checked out." she fumed.

"You know that's not at all what it is. Be reasonable Buffy, you're acting like a teenager." Angel grumbled.

"Hello, look at me! I _am_ a teenager!" she shouted, "Sort of..." she muttered under her breath.

Angel simply ran a hand through his hair in exasperation and turned away from her to collect himself.

Buffy took a deep, calming breath, "So what is it then? You think after twenty years of us walking on eggshells around each other we'll suddenly be unable to restrain ourselves?"

"God, Buffy..." Angel sighed in frustration, "Do you think this was an easy decision for me to come to? Do you think I want things to turn out that way? Because I don't. I just don't think I'd be able to be around you anymore... not after feeling like we were so close to having what we wanted again..." he explained, fighting the whole time to appear calm and rational, when underneath the surface his emotions were raging wildly, "You can't tell me, in all honesty, that it would be easy for you either."

Buffy cast her eyes towards the ground. She knew he was right, she had just been praying so hard that he would come back with good news that she hadn't really stopped to think what it would be like if he came back and nothing had changed. It would be devastating. Unfortunately, at the moment it was not as devastating as the thought of potentially never seeing Angel again. "Maybe we should split up for the rest of the night... cover more ground..." she muttered still gazing at her feet.

She heard Angel exhale a sharp, unnecessary breath, "Alright. Fine." He brushed past her quickly and stalked back towards the street as Buffy remained rooted in place. She groaned, and dug the toe of her sneaker angrily into the ground. She almost wished this Hellmouth would open and swallow her whole on the spot, it couldn't possibly be more torturous than how she was feeling right now.

~o~

"Oh, Buffy, I don't think you were out of line at all!" Lily soothed, rubbing her friend's back comfortingly as they sat on her bed. Buffy had shown up at her front door earlier that evening, clearly distraught, but still refusing to cry. She'd gone by Willow's but there was no one home, she could only assume she was at the bookstore with Giles, continuing to prepare the spell, and as much as Buffy felt more comfortable discussing all things Angel with her, she didn't really think Giles would be interested in yet more of their trials and tribulations. She decided Lily was the next best thing. She may have an unnecessarily optimistic outlook when it came to Buffy and Angel's relationship, but at least she'd be supportive.

"No... I really was... he's just trying to deal, you know, and I just blasted him..."

"But he should have told you! I mean that's not fair! To leave you here waiting, hoping, and then he just never comes..." she trailed off as she saw Buffy's frown become more pronounced.

"That's just Angel for you. He thinks he knows best... usually he _does_ know best... And it does make sense. I just... I just wish it didn't, you know?" Buffy replied softly.

"No! It doesn't! You two should be together! Curse or no curse, you can work something out! ... Can't you?" Lily asked hopefully.

"I don't know Lil. It just gets so complicated... ." She trailed off, "No, he is right, if the curse is still there we really shouldn't be together." Buffy admitted sorrowfully. As much as she hated to admit it, the last thing either of them needed was to be in each others presence, constantly a reminder of what they could never have. It would be better for not only both of them, but for the whole world if they stayed apart, fought the battle separately.

Lily frowned. She didn't like the thought of Buffy or Angel having to suffer for the rest of their lives. And believe it or not, she'd actually grown fond of the vampire, and didn't like the thought of him no longer being around. She wished silently that she knew more about their situation, so that she could think of something proper to say. "Don't give up yet Buffy, you don't even know if all this worrying is for nothing." she offered meekly.

"I know... it's still just hard to hear." Buffy sighed, "You know, I don't want to talk about it anymore!" she mustered up the most convincing smile she could under the circumstances, "So... how are things with Olly?" she asked, a devilish glint in her eye.

"Huh? Wh-what? I... I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Lily stammered.

"Come on Lil... I'm not blind. I've been noticing... things."

Lily's face turned a dark shade of crimson, "There's nothing to tell... I don't think he's interested."

"Please, he's definitely interested."

"You think?" she asked hopefully.

"I do... don't worry, once the apocalypse is averted I'll play a little matchmaker for you." Buffy joked.

"No! You wouldn't!" Lily squealed.

The girls fell into a fit of giggles, and Buffy was sure she'd made the right choice in looking for a distraction from her sorrows.

~o~

The following evening everyone gathered at the bookstore to continue their preparations. There was still no sign of Dustin, or of the mysterious Gypsy, but all were well aware that it was better to not be caught off guard. The mood was tense, though Buffy had only spoke to Lily about what had occurred between her and Angel in the graveyard the night before, the friction between the two of them was obvious to the others. Since he had walked in, Buffy had barely looked up from her seat beside Willow, where she sat dutifully crushing herbs with a large mortar and pestle, and Angel had immediately busied himself preparing weapons alongside Spike, and an eager-to-learn Olly. Willow nudged Buffy's arm softly, and shot her a pointed look of confusion, which Buffy dismissed reluctantly. Wanting to get away from everyone's prying eyes, as soon as she was done, she carefully poured the ground herbs back into a vial, and retreated to Giles' office, where he was holed up cross-referencing some last minute things. Angel watched her disappear towards the back of the shop with a discouraged look on his face.

"Alright, what did you do?" Olly whispered.

"Nothing." Angel hissed.

"Yeah. Right. Nothin'... The only time Buffy's ever in a foul mood, it's your fault." Spike chuckled.

"I didn't _do_ anything. Alright? Drop it..."

Spike held up his hands in mock surrender.

Angel sighed, "I'm going to go see if Giles needs help."

"Yeah, sure you are." Spike drawled.

Angel chose to ignore Spike's last comment, and climbed the short set of steps up to Giles' office. As he neared he could begin to hear bits of their conversation:

"Really? Nothing? Cause I'm good at the reading stuff now Giles, remember?" Buffy said.

"I'm sure Buffy, you should go be with your friends."

"And what are you, chopped liver? You're of the friend variety too..."

Giles smirked slightly, "Buffy- yes, Angel?" he asked, looking past Buffy to Angel who was standing in the door frame. Buffy's face immediately fell, and she crossed her arms across her chest defensively. She didn't turn to look at him, an action that was not lost on Giles.

Angel glanced briefly at the back of Buffy's head, before returning his attention to Giles, "I, um, I thought I would ask you if there's anything you'd like me to bring back to the Council for you... I was thinking of passing through London..."

Giles nodded pensively, "Yes, I could probably send a few volumes back their way... I'll get a few things together for you, thank you."

"Alright, I'll let you know when I'm leaving." Angel replied, before casting one last glance at Buffy, and slipping away.

As soon as she was sure he was gone, Buffy sighed heavily, "So? Book stuff?"

Giles cleared his throat, and removed his glasses to rub his eyes, "You know Buffy, though you may not like me saying this... Angel has never done anything without your best interests in mind."

Looking embarrassed, Buffy fell into the chair opposite Giles' desk, "I know Giles... it's just -"

She was cut off by the sound of shattering glass, and Lily shrieking in horror. She and Giles immediately flew out of their seats, ran towards the front of the shop. Once arriving at the top of the steps, they discovered the storefront window shattered, and what looked like a dismembered human hand laying in the middle of the floor. The others all stood behind the table, paralyzed by shock. Olly quickly rushed to Lily's side and pulled her into his arms protectively, turning her away from the grim scene, but no one else moved. Finally, Spike crept towards the hand, his shoes crunching over the broken bits of glass as he peered at the appendage intently. Once he was beside it, he bent down, and picked it up gingerly. It wasn't evident until Spike's own hand closed around it, but it was far too large to be from a human being; it was also far too grey, and far to cold.

"It's stone." he announced in confusion.

Buffy descended the steps, and approaching Spike, took the hand from him. Turning it over so the palm faced upwards, she discovered a message painted across it.

"'Tomorrow night'" she read, holding up the hand for the others to see.

"What does that mean?" Willow asked.

Buffy looked back down at the hand; its long elegant fingers outstretched, and she realized she knew where it had come from.

"It means you better have your spell ready Will; they're opening the Hellmouth tomorrow night."

_"The old devils are at it again, _  
_Who knows what they'll do _  
_And it's true right now like it was back then,_  
_The old devils are at it again_  
_From behind these bars the view don't change, _  
_Desperation death and despair_  
_From what little I hear of the outside world, _  
_Well its not to different out there _  
_And they tell me there's a war without no end, _  
_The old devils are at it again _  
_They die by the millions,_  
_Children women and men _  
_The old devils are at it again."  
_- "Old Devils" by William Elliot Whitmore

~o~

**I don't really have much to say about this chapter, I think overall it's pretty straightforward... but you DO get an epic battle in the next chapter! Or, as epic as I was able to write it... which hopefully is epic enough. **

**Completely unrelated, I only found out about the artist I quote at the end of this chapter, William Elliot Whitmore, a few weeks ago, a friend brought one of his cd's into work and I was instantly obsessed! Lyrically I think he's genius, and the music makes me want to become an outlaw in the Old West... hahaha... Anyway, I hadn't found a quote for this chapter yet, and thought this was perfect!**

**reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	37. Chapter 37: Fissures

**So here it is! It's battle time! I'm sure it doesn't really stand up to some of the end-of-the-world battles on the show, but I tried my best!**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

~o~

"_When you walk through the garden,  
__You gotta watch your back  
__Well I beg your pardon,  
__Walk the straight and narrow track  
__If you walk with Jesus,  
__He's gonna save your soul  
__You gotta keep the devil,  
__Way down in the hole"  
_- "Way Down In The Hole" by Tom Waits

Chapter 37: Fissures

It was a strangely cool night considering it was late spring, as the group gathered around Olly's car just a few blocks away from the cemetery. Their expressions were grave, and the sound of the wind moaning ominously through the leaves wasn't helping to lift their spirits. Olly and Lily were especially on edge, having never been involved in a battle before. Lily's face was ashen, as she fidgeted with a stake in one of her hands, and tightly gripped the small sack of herbs Willow had given her in the other. Olly bounced nervously on the balls of his feet next to his open trunk as Spike, Angel and Buffy pulled various weapons out of it.

"Are you sure you're alright with being out here Giles? It's been awhile since you've had to actually be in the battle..." Buffy asked hesitantly as she passed her trusty crossbow to the Watcher.

"Yes, don't worry Buffy... I'm sure it's quite a lot like riding a bicycle... you never forget." he muttered sardonically.

"Just stay close to Willow and Lily, make sure no one or nothing interrupts them." she turned back to the other three men, all now equipped with their own weapons, "You three stay with me, watch each others backs." she turned finally to Lily and Willow, hugging Lily tightly and giving her a reassuring smile, before squeezing Willow's arm affectionately, "Stay safe."

"Question!" Olly piped up, "What if they see us coming?"

"That's why we parked all the way over here, genius." Spike huffed.

"Hopefully, it'll interrupt them." Buffy said, shooting Spike a pointed glare, "Let's go."

She led the gang away from the car towards the cemetery gate. Angel fell into line behind her, even though they still hadn't uttered a word to each other since the other night, Spike followed next, then Olly, with Giles picking up the rear behind Willow and Lily. They crossed through the gate into the cemetery grounds, the tension mounting with every step further into the maze of headstones. Just as they began to near the edge of the clearing where the large angel monument was located, Buffy could hear the faint sound of a woman chanting.

"Shhh..." she whispered, throwing her arm out to the side in order to slow the group behind her. She crept slowly forward to the edge of the trees, and discovered Dustin standing at the base of the statue, the young gypsy kneeling at his side with her head bowed, clearly already in the middle of the ritual. There were only a dozen or so vampires at his side, a minimal amount considering the magnitude of what he was planning on doing. Suddenly, Buffy saw the gypsy raise her hand high above her head, and a glint of bronze caught her eye. It was the dagger, now crusted over with her dried blood. The gypsy plunged it into the marble base of the statue, and it cut through as though it were no more than butter. She stood as a deep rumbling rose from underneath them, and a large crack began to form from the hilt of the dagger, all along the middle of the statue's base.

Angel watched the gypsy with a peculiar feeling in the pit of his stomach, he couldn't see her face, but he could sense something strange about the energy she carried around her. It wasn't until she finished her incantation and rose turned to face Dustin that he realized what it was; her eyes glowed yellow below her deeply ridged brow bone, and sharp jagged fangs protruded from her lips as she smiled at her master. Angel's stomach twinged with guilt as he remembered what she'd asked him outside the caves weeks ago.

"Giles," he whispered, reaching out towards him and motioning for his crossbow. Giles passed him the weapon without question, though puzzlement marked his features.

"Angel, wai-" Buffy began, but before the words had barely left her lips, Angel had aimed and launched a bolt, striking the gypsy square in the chest.

The vampire formerly known as Nadya looked down at the crossbow bolt protruding from her ribcage in confusion, before exploding into ash. Dustin surveyed the empty space where the gypsy stood in shock only momentarily, before a wicked grin spread across his face, and he turned towards the shadows where the attack had originated.

"You're too late, little Slayer! Everything has already been put into motion! You may as well come out and enjoy the show before your time is up!"

Buffy spun towards Willow and Lily, "You guys hang back here, you know what to do." she ripped the crossbow out of Angel's hands, and shoved it into Giles' chest a little unceremoniously, "Be careful," she grumbled before tightening her own grip on her battle axe and turning back towards the clearing. "Let's go boys." she growled, before bursting out of the shadows and charging towards where Dustin stood gloating.

His lackeys immediately jumped into action, rushing towards them at full speed. Buffy swung her axe, decapitating one, as the sound of others being dusted echoed behind her.

"You brought the cavalry! It'll be nice to have an audience!" Dustin bellowed above the sounds of the battle. Buffy focused her attention back towards him, and was about to lunge when suddenly the rumbling earth beneath them began to shake violently. The sounds of fighting stopped, as everyone steadied themselves, and turned towards the monument as the loud crack of splitting stone thundered through the night. Buffy watched in horror as a long fissure grew and grew through the base of the statue, rising, twisting, and splitting up the draped folds in the angel's robes. The delicately carved feathers of the outstretched wings began to crumble away, revealing inky blackness underneath. The elegant fingers on the remaining hand seemed to curl into a fist as the stone broke away, and a leathery black, clawed hand burst free. Some of the minions seemed to suddenly have realized what was happening, and took off running towards the gate, while others used the distraction to jump back onto Buffy, Angel, Spike and Olly. Dustin simply remained rooted to his spot, his expression one of pure delight as he watched the rest of the stone wings crumble away to expose a large set of onyx bat wings. They flapped once, shaking off the remaining rubble, before a deafening shriek erupted from the statue. The angel's mouth wrenched open gruesomely, revealing a jaw full of razor-sharp and yellowed teeth. From the stump where the other stone hand had been knocked off, another clawed hand grew forth, bursting out of the stone dramatically before the rest of the arm jerked side to side, freeing itself from the confines of the rock. The hand clawed at the blank, sorrowful eyes of the angel, tearing away the stone so the creature could see. Its icy-white eyes had no irises, and its pupils were long slits like those of a feline, it looked around at the battle raging at its feet, and shrieked again as it began to wriggle the rest of its body free of its hardened prison.

Dustin watched in awe as it finally freed its feet, and hovered with its horrible wings flapping above the fray. With his arms outstretched, he laughed triumphantly, "Welcome Guardian!" he cackled, drawing the creature's attention towards him. It studied him a moment, before making a sound reminiscent of a snort mixed with a growl. It extended its long, bony finger towards him, and spoke in a language no one present could understand. The sound was bone-chilling, many of the minions stopped fighting, giving Buffy and her fellow warriors a momentary upper-hand.

"Yes! I called you forth! I will do your bidding!" Dustin called to the Guardian, but it remained hovering silently in place, its icy eyes transfixed on him. Without warning, it swooped down, grabbing Dustin's dreadlocks in one of his claws and lifting him off the ground. With another deafening shriek, he wrenched Dustin's head from his body, sending a rain of ash down on the others below before it swooped back up and seemed to be studying the surroundings. It focused suddenly on a spot near the entrance gate, and began to slowly float towards it.

"Olly! NOW!" Buffy shouted, and began to chase after the Guardian on foot.

Olly ripped a large gun-like weapon off his back, and aimed it at the sky. Pulling the trigger, a large net exploded from the barrel and hurdled through the air, trapping the Guardian inside. It shrieked again as it began to plummet from the sky, clawing at the netting. Just moments before it was about to hit the ground, it managed to shred a large enough hole to free its wings and swooped back towards the gate.

While the net had slowed the Guardian down, Buffy had managed to gain on it, and hurdling herself through the air, caught the tail end of the net, which was still wrapped around the demon's legs, just before it ascended back into the sky. Tree branches and leaves whipped her in the face as she was pulled further and further away from the others, but she didn't dare let go. "I got you Buffy!" she heard Spike holler behind her, and felt a hand briefly grasp around her ankle before slipping away.

Angel had taken out the last of the vampires just in time to see Buffy lifted away. Olly ran up behind him, panting heavily, "Where do you think it's going?" he shouted over the rumbling that still continued underneath their feet. Angel watched Buffy's form shrink in the distance, being carried away by the Guardian's ghastly wings. It was then that he noticed, far off near the entrance of the cemetery, an eerie yellowish glow emitting from the over the trees.

"To the Hellmouth..." he answered, before taking off after the beast. Olly, struggling to keep up, followed closely behind him.

Giles stood dutifully by Willow as she knelt in the earth, a small urn full of burning herbs, and surrounded by candles sat in front of her as she chanted in some archaic language. Lily stood at her side, intermittently sprinkling more herbs from a small pouch into the urn. He watched in horror as Buffy had been dragged away by what appeared to be the Guardian spoken of in the text, but he didn't dare leave the two young women on their own.

"Where's it going?" Lily whimpered. Her hands trembled as she reached back into the pouch, thinking of her best friend being at the mercy of that horrible creature.

Giles didn't answer immediately, he simply turned in the direction that the Guardian had flown off in, when suddenly an expression of realization and shock washed over his face. "Of course... why hadn't I thought of it sooner..." he muttered.

"Wh-what?" Lily asked.

"The fire... the deaths... it all makes sense." he said in awe

"What makes sense Giles?" Lily pleaded

"The Hellmouth... it's underneath the old church."

Buffy clung to the net as she soared now just over top the trees. She was both surprised, and thankful that her axe was still clutched tightly in her hand, as the Guardian brought her closer and closer to a sickly yellow glow emitting from near the entrance of the graveyard. She couldn't say for sure, but she could assume that the light was coming from the location of the Hellmouth, and she knew she needed to keep the monster from reaching it. The creature began to speak again, in it's old language, and looking up she could see it reaching one of its long clawed hands towards the light. They would be over top whatever it was in mere moments, she had to act now. Tucking her axe into her belt, she began to climb up the netting like a ladder, until she reached the Guardians leathery legs. She grabbed one of its feet, and it stopped chanting. Looking down at her, it narrowed its cold blank eyes at her and shrieked again as it attempted to shake her off, to no avail. It kicked its leg forward, and snatched her off it's foot with one hand, leaving her hanging in mid-air by only her arm. Glaring at her viciously, it growled something incomprehensible to her, and she lashed her feet out, attempting to kick it in the face. It grabbed her foot with it's other hand and held on, leaving her now dangling upside down as the being continued to soar through the air. Looking at the ground below her, Buffy could now see that the glow was coming from the foundation of the old church. The eerie light was seeping through the cracked stones making up the floor. Just as they arrived over the old structure, the stones began to fall away, and the glow from underneath became brighter. Still swinging precariously from one foot, Buffy reached for her axe and swung it at the demon's neck. To her surprise, it slid through it's flesh almost effortlessly, and the Guardian's head plummeted into the glowing abyss below. The rest of it's body slowly began to turn back into stone, and suddenly Buffy found herself falling down towards the gaping hole in the church floor. Letting go of her axe, she squeezed her eyes shut, and shielded her face with her arms. She prayed the others weren't nearby, in case anything managed to escape the portal, and that Willow's spell would work. She braced herself, wondering what it would feel like to plummet into a demon dimension, what sort of torment would await for her. Instead, she felt herself slam into what felt like a cold slab of stone, and she opened her eyes to find herself lying on the floor of the church, as the ominous glow began to dim from beneath the stones. She looked up just in time to roll out of the way, as the once again stone body of the Guardian crashed suddenly to the ground where she laid moments ago, smashing to bits. Taking a deep calming breath, she rose slowly to her feet, and stretched, thankful for the lack of broken bones. She surveyed the cemetery; all was peaceful once more, until Spike and Olly burst forth from the trees, and stumbled to a halt upon seeing Buffy standing alone, and in one piece, just inside the ruins of the church.

"You killed it? You killed it! Right on!" Olly cheered.

"You alright then, Love?" Spike asked.

"Yeah... all good." Buffy exhaled, rubbing the back of her neck, she was sure she'd have some serious whiplash in the morning.

Giles, Willow and Lily came rushing to join the others, seeing the others unharmed, Giles sighed loudly, while Willow and Lily both smiled triumphantly as Buffy hopped over the church's crumbling foundation to join the others.

"It worked?" Lily exclaimed.

"Yeah, you guys did good." Buffy replied, smiling gratefully at her friends. The smile faded quickly however, as she looked around and realized that their group was one member short. "Um... have any of you seen Angel?" she asked, spinning around, hoping he would burst out of the shadows any moment now.

The look of triumph slowly melted away from everyone's faces as they all began to look to each other, and then to their surroundings.

"He was right in front of me just a few minutes ago... I..." Olly muttered peering into the shadows, "I swear, he was... he was here..."

Buffy's heart sunk, he couldn't even hang around long enough to celebrate with them. She wondered if it was her fault for getting angry with him the other night. Refusing to let the others see her upset, she put on a brave face, and turned back to them with a smile.

"No big deal guys. We made it! Let's just go home, and get some well deserved rest." she chirped, and began to lead the gang towards the exit. Willow, however, was not being fooled, and rushed to Buffy's side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders supportively. Buffy smiled thankfully; tomorrow would be the start of a new sort of battle, but at least she had good friends to help her through it.

~o~

**Alright, now before anyone calls me on it, I know the whole thing with the net was a little too convenient, but I don't think it really had that big of an effect on the chapter as a whole, so I don't really care! Olly's still a newbie when it comes to apocalypses, I just wanted him to feel like he was helping!**

**Now, I bet you're all wondering what's going to happen with Angel going to Romania and all that jazz since Dustin is no more. Rest assured the story is not over! I was putting off mentioning anything until I was far enough into the story, but the remaining chapters are more like a Part 2. I won't be splitting it up from this half however, I figured if new readers stumble upon this now it'll be a lot less of a headache if everything is together, instead of them having to search through all the archived stories for the first half. **  
**There is still one more chapter to kind of close this part, I'm thinking about maybe posting it in the middle of the week so I can keep up with my two-chapter updates without breaking up the first two chapters of the next part.**

**Maybe everyone can let me know what they think about that idea in a review! ;)**

**Until the next update. **


	38. Chapter 38: Seeds of Hope

**As promised, here is the missing chapter to tie-up part 1! It's a little on the short side, but I hope you'll all enjoy it anyway!**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

* * *

Chapter 38: Seeds of Hope

Giles wasn't really listening to anything Willow was saying. Instead, he was staring over his teacup to the large duffle bag full of books obstructing the floor of his living room; the books that Angel had agreed to take with him to London, before he'd so stealthily crept off without so much as a goodbye. Giles dreaded the though of having to lug them all downstairs to the shop, he was in rather good shape for someone of his age, but it didn't mean he was looking forward to doing any heavy lifting. Willow finally noticed that her host was distracted, and followed Giles' line of sight to the lumpy mound of canvas on the floor.

"It was kind of... well, douche-y of Angel to leave without saying goodbye." she said.

"I'm sorry? What? Douche-y?" Giles sputtered, returning his attention to her.

She chuckled, "Sorry, I guess I've been spending too much time around University students... It just wasn't very nice of him."

"No..." Giles muttered, taking a sip from his cup.

"I couldn't get in touch with Buffy all day. She wasn't answering her phone."

"Hmmm..." Giles mused, "I-I'm sure she'll be fine in a couple of days. She always bounces back."

"I know Giles, but how many times is this going to happen?" She answered with a sigh.

"I really don't know what to say on the topic Willow. When it comes to Buffy and Angel, I-"

They were interrupted by a knock at the door, and Giles rose to answer it. Upon opening the door he revealed a slightly apprehensive Angel standing on the other side.

"Giles." he greeted quietly, "Willow." he added, peering into the kitchen.

"Angel..." Giles said, slightly stunned, "Erm, come in... I... I thought you had already left town."

"Well, I said I would take those books for you, so..." he said, stepping into the small apartment, "I just thought Buffy would be better without me there last night... is... all." he finished the sentence hesitantly upon seeing the disapproving look on Willow's face.

"How could you say that!" she scolded, rising from the kitchen table with her hands placed defiantly on her hips, "She was miserable once she noticed you'd disappeared!"

Angel looked to the floor, clearly ashamed of his actions, but Willow continued nonetheless, "How many times are you going to do things like this to her before you get the picture?"

Willow's manner changed as he looked back up to her, his expression reminiscent of a puppy being scolded for getting into the trash. Frowning, she sighed heavily, "She loves you dummy, of course she wants you around."

His lip curled into a sad smile, "I'm happy she still has you around Willow." he said.

"Yeah, well, you won't be if you don't come back. I'll hunt you down and kick your butt."

Angel couldn't help chuckling, "Noted." He turned his attention back to Giles, "I'll take those books from you now, Giles."

With a nod, he motioned towards the bag in the middle of the floor, "Yes, they're in the living room."

Angel moved past the two of them, and slung the heavy bag over his shoulder almost effortlessly. He stood for a moment, contemplating the two people whom he knew he could always trust Buffy's well-being with. "Keep her safe, alright?" he asked quietly. Giles nodded solemnly.

"Be careful." Willow answered with a nod of her head.

He bowed his head to them, then made his way back to the door.

"Angel?" Giles called, stopping him just as he was about to step through the door frame. He turned back towards the man he'd come to view as Buffy's father-figure. "I hope before you leave, you'll make things right with her." he said.

"I hope I can too." he replied, and stepped back out into the night.

~o~

Alone in the quiet of the cemetery, Buffy surveyed the damage to the former angel monument. All that was left of the graceful statue was a crumbling stone pedestal, and the cracked marble base. Kicking aside some of the smaller stones, she sat down on the edge of the base, and leaning against her knees, propped her head up in her hands. It was a balmy and clear evening, and the wind was still. A harsh contrast in light of the events the evening before. She sighed as she let her thoughts wander off; she'd been hoping for at least one vampire tonight, she needed something to take her mind off of things. Despite the fact that she should be revelling in her latest triumph over the forces of darkness, her mind continually wandered back to Angel, how he'd snuck away from the battle without even so much as a wave goodbye. Part of her didn't blame him, she had been rather harsh to him during their argument, but part of her hoped that he would be the bigger person and attempt an apology. She dug at the cracked marble with her toe, and was about to turn in for the night, when she felt a tingle run up her spine, and a familiar presence approach.

"I thought you'd be halfway across the continent by now." she said wryly without taking her eyes off the ground. She immediately regretted it however, once she looked up and took note of Angel's hurt expression. "I'm sorry... I really need to stop doing that." she sighed, looking back down at her feet.

"It's okay," Angel replied, shrugging a rather heavy looking duffel bag off his shoulder, "I'm pretty sure I deserve it... at least a little bit."

"You really don't though." Buffy answered as she rose, brushing the dust off her pants.

He took a few tentative steps towards her, "How are you feeling?"

She shrugged, "As good as to be expected I guess... considering I got dragged around by a giant bat-man - and not the crime-fighting, caped crusading kind. But, hey, we saved the world again, so... gold star for Buffy." she smiled sheepishly and looked back down to the ground, embarrassed for her rambling, "So... what are you doing here?"

Angel shoved his hands into his coat pockets, and looked away from her, "Well... I thought I'd say goodbye this time." he answered quietly.

Their eyes met, and Angel slowly moved to join her on the statue's base. Buffy looked away again as she felt tears spring to her eyes. She didn't cry the last time he left her, she wouldn't let him see her cry this time either. "Right, well, good luck..." she murmured.

"Buffy..." he sighed, gently hooking his finger underneath her chin, and tilting her head up to look at him. Angel's sorrowful and worried expression mirrored her own, as he ran his thumb over her jawline. Hesitantly, he leaned towards her, and their lips met. Softly at first, but slowly grew more passionate as his arms snaked around her waist, and Buffy's hands worked their way into Angel's hair.

Buffy pulled away as a small sob escaped her lips, and she felt a tear finally creep down her cheek.

"Buffy, please... please don't." Angel murmured into her hair as he crushed her to his chest. After a moment, she looked back up at him, cupping his cheek in her hand, "Do you really have to do this?" she whispered, tears sparkling in her eyes.

He nodded sombrely, and pressed his lips to hers again.

"But what if I never see you again? I-I can't do it Angel... I can't." she wept, fingering the lapels of his coat.

"I'll come back. Whenever you need my help... I'll always come back." he promised, as Buffy sunk back into his embrace, "I could never stay away from you forever." he could try to convince himself time and time again, but he knew no matter how often or how hard he tried to forget her, he would never be able to walk away from her completely. Their lives were inextricably entwined, and it was the way they would stay until one of them finally left this earth.

They stayed there, wrapped in each others arms, for what seemed like an eternity, before Buffy reluctantly pulled away. "You should get going... before it's too close to sunrise." she said mournfully.

Angel nodded, taking her hands in his. He'd had this planned for weeks now, he didn't realize how hard it would be to actually go through with it. He pulled her back towards him for one last kiss, which they ended hesitantly. He gazed down at her, tears now threatening to spill from his eyes as well, as he brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. "I love you." he said softly.

"I love you," Buffy answered with a tearful smile. For years she had been waiting for him to say those words to her again, how cruel it was that it couldn't be under different circumstances.

Angel finally stepped away from her and off the platform, still clinging to her hand. "Do you... are you coming?" he asked, looking up at her.

Buffy looked up at the clear night sky, the stars twinkling brightly over the clearing, then gazed back down to Angel with a sigh, "No... I... I think I'm gonna stay out here a bit longer..."

He nodded with a sad smile, "Alright." he turned slightly to walk away, his fingers slowly slipping out of Buffy's hand, but she clung tighter.

"Angel?" she asked, tugging his hand slightly.

He turned back towards her, a questioning look on his face.

"Stay safe?" she whispered, the gravity of the journey he was about to embark on finally hitting her.

He nodded again, this time more solemnly, "You too?"

"I will."

They finally separated, and Angel took a few steps backwards, reluctant to look away from her, as Buffy watched him go, still standing on the marble platform and smiling bravely despite the tears in her eyes. He turned away finally, approached his bag, and slung it over his shoulder. Glancing once more behind him, he smiled at Buffy, who raised her hand to wave, before he trudged back towards the gates, and towards the beginning of the most important task he'd ever have to fulfill.

As Buffy watched him disappear into the trees, one last tear trailed down her cheek, which she hastily wiped away. She felt different this time, in comparison to all the other times she'd watched Angel walk away from her; this time he was leaving not for her, but for them. With a tiny seed of hope planted, she looked back up towards the sky, and prayed that whatever was out there keep Angel out of harms way, and lead him back to her.

_"I won't give up, we'll fight to win  
__To move along from where we'd been  
__I'll sing this song for you again  
__I'm looking up around the bend  
__We're so much stronger than before  
__Our fraying edges on the mend"  
__- _"Our Destiny" by Epica

~o~

**FINALLY! Right?  
I couldn't very well have Angel take off to Europe without making up with Buffy, that would be mean... and I'm not really that mean. **

**I think I must have re-read this chapter like a zillion times, I wanted it to be perfect since Buffy and Angel finally stop being idiots, and since it ties up this section of the story.  
****I'm not entirely sure I got there, but I did my best.**

**Well then, I hope you're all anxious for what's in store for Buffy next! I was going to be a little bit of a jerk and not update on Sunday, let you guys stew with this for a little while, but I don't think I'm actually going to do that. I'll write a bit more about the next part in the next chapter update.**

**Until the weekend!**

**And now, I finally gave you some B/A, so repay me with some kind words in the form of reviews. :)**


	39. Chapter 39: The Waiting Game

**Hello everyone and welcome to what I guess I could call Season 2!  
So, from this point on is the reason why I decided to give this fic an M rating. The story gets quite a bit darker, and though I don't think I'm _that_ disturbed by any means, I didn't want to take a chance by offending anyone.**

**At any rate, the answers to a lot of things in the first half of the story will finally be revealed! I hope you all continue to enjoy. **

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

* * *

Chapter 39: The Waiting Game

_ Three Months Later_

Lily giggled as she stumbled out of the ice cream parlour, a cone stacked high with two scoops of cookie dough ice cream grasped in one hand, her other pulling Olly behind her. He tripped down the last step, and stumbled to find his footing without dropping his scoop of chocolate fudge all over the sidewalk.

"That's not true, I know it's not true!" Lily laughed.

"What are you talking about! I would never lie to you!"

"Yes you would! You have!" she argued, placing her free hand on her hip.

"What? When!"

"When we were eleven, and you ran over my Polly Pocket with your bike."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have left it in the middle of the driveway."

"Maybe you should've watched where you're going!"

"Okay, okay, forget the Polly Pocket! But I swear to you right now, Miss Lily Callaghan, that I am telling the truth!" Olly said gallantly, his hand places over his heart.

Lily rolled her eyes, "Alright, fine, I believe you! Can we move on now?"

With a goofy grin, Olly nodded, then taking Lily's hand once more, they continued down the street.

"It's too bad Buffy couldn't join us again tonight." Lily sighed. It was the last weekend before their second year in University began, and like almost every night that summer, Buffy had backed out of their plans to patrol.

"Yeah, she seems to be on overdrive with the slaying... or the moping."

"What do you mean?" Lily asked.

"Well, maybe it's just me, but haven't you noticed that she really threw herself into the patrolling thing once He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named left town?" Olly explained.

"You mean Angel? Jeez Olly, you can talk about him, it's not like this is Harry Potter."

"Oh really? Did you see how grumpy she got when Spike accidentally let his name slip two weeks ago?"

Lily frowned, "I guess... but she isn't patrolling a lot because of You-Know-Who... Giles has this theory that when the Hellmouth briefly opened, there was some sort of... energy... or something that escaped, and now it's got all the vampires riled up." she explained. She cast a glance at Olly, who was looking at her with a very disbelieving expression on his face, "Or maybe she's moping... I don't know."

"Well," Olly began, "I hope You-Know-Who comes back soon! I'm really getting tired of training with Spike... he teases me too much..." he grumbled.

"Poor baby!" Lily grinned, squeezing his hand affectionately, "I just hope he comes back soon for Buffy's sake, I can't imagine how she must feel... _three months_ without a word..." she mused woefully.

"It's okay, a couple of more days and we'll all have school to distract us from our otherworldly problems." Olly sighed.

"Yeah... it's gonna suck not getting to spend as much time working with Willow." Lily moped.

"Hey, what about me?" Olly whined.

"I have half my classes with you silly!"

"So? We'll be sitting in a classroom, taking notes, and being bored to death!"

"Okay, but you can't teach me how to do stuff like this!" Lily replied. Looking around to make sure there was no one on the street, she dropped Olly's hand and turned to face him. Holding her ice cream up in front of her face, she focused all her energy on it, then slowly, finger by finger, removed her hand from around the cone. The ice cream stayed suspended in mid-air, and Lily smiled triumphantly.

"Whoa..." Olly whispered.

Lily giggled, amused by Olly's reaction, but the momentary split of her focus caused the ice cream to drop to the ground, landing on the pavement ice cream side down with a loud splat. "Oh..." she pouted, staring at her ruined treat in disappointment.

With an amused chuckle, Olly held out his cone to her. "Share?"

Smiling widely, Lily moved to grab the cone, but Olly quickly pulled it away and swooped down to steal a kiss from her instead.

"Meanie." Lily pouted when they broke apart.

Grinning mischievously, he held the cone out to her again, this time so she could actually take a lick. "You know why else I can't wait for Angel to get back?" Olly asked, as he took Lily's hand in his again, and they began to walk again.

"Why?"

"So we can finally tell Buffy we're together."

"Olly, I've told you a million times already, we can tell her anyway!" Lily sighed.

"Yeah, that'll go over real well, 'Hey! Buffy! I know you're heartbroken, and miserable, and don't know what's happening to the love of your life, but we're dating! Isn't that great?'" Olly cheered with fake enthusiasm.

"Okay... well, we don't have to break it to her like that..." Lily grumbled.

"I still think it's better that we wait. She's got a lot on her mind right now."

~o~

With a yelp, a vampire went soaring through the air, and slammed into the trunk of one of the old gnarled trees in the cemetery, impaled on one of it's broken branches. One of its companions watched in shock as he burst into dust, before turning back towards the petite blonde who had thrown him up there. She smiled sweetly, before brandishing her stake and moving slowly towards him. The vampire whimpered, then wasting no time, turned and ran away as fast as it could.

"Where are you going!" she yelled after him, "I'm just getting warmed up!"

Spike plunged his stake into the vampire he was fighting, then brushed the ash off his leather jacket as he moved to meet up with the indignant Slayer, watching her opponent retreat with her hands placed haughtily on her hips.

"You might want to tone it down there Pet, you're scarin' them all away." he said.

Buffy turned to him, her brow furrowed, "They're supposed to be scared of me, that's the point." she tucked her stake back up her sleeve, and they began to walk back towards the entrance gates.

"Yeah, I know... but you're supposed to kill them, not send them runnin'." he explained.

"Just gives me the chance to get more exercise." she answered, spotting a vampire digging her way out of a fresh grave. Buffy stalked up to her, and grabbing her by the collar of her shirt, pulled her the rest of the way out of the ground and punched her roughly in the face three times in a row, before pulling out the stake to finish her off.

Spike sighed, "Don't you think you're overdoin' it a bit, though?"

"What are you talking about?" Buffy huffed.

"Come on! Buffy! You just bludgeoned that last one to a pulp for no reason!" he exclaimed in exasperation.

"Vampire. That's a reason!" she argued, then continued walking.

Spike sighed again, and ran a hand through his hair, "I know you're... frustrated... Love, but that's no reason to act like Attila the Hun..."

"I'm not frustrated." Buffy argued, just as they reached the edge of the clearing where the angel monument had stood. The debris had been long since cleared away, and the marble base had been repaired, but there was still an empty space where the statue had yet to be replaced. Buffy suddenly fell silent, her mood changing drastically, as she recalled her and Angel's gut-wrenching goodbye three months prior. She wondered how long it would take to get to Romania while avoiding the sunlight... was three months not long enough? Was it _too_ long? She frowned, it was so like Angel to just disappear off the face of the earth, to not even call and let her know that he was alive. He could at the very least send an e-mail, she knew there were internet cafes all over Europe; was it too much to ask that he pop into just one, and send a short message?_ 'Hi Buffy, I haven't been killed by a clan of vengeance-crazed Gypsies, wish you were here - Angel'_? She missed him terribly. She dreamed of their parting kiss almost every night, and woke longing for more. Also, although patrolling with Spike was effective, it just wasn't the same.

She was shook from her thoughts by Spike's chuckle, "You're frustrated Ducks, you can't hide it from me."

She sighed heavily, "Drop it Spike, let's just go home." she grumbled, continuing quickly through the clearing while Spike followed.

"I'm just looking out for you! You're gonna burn yourself out or somethin' if you keep up like this! Especially now with school startin' at whatnot..." he rambled as he chased her past the ruins of the church, and out the gate.

~o~

Mere moments after Buffy and Spike had exited the cemetery, a shadowy figure stepped out of the dark cover of the trees. Though the figure's face and body were obscured by a long, black, hooded cloak, one could assume from his tall stature that it was indeed a male. He walked slowly, almost reverently, towards the old church, and stopped once he stood at the very edge of the floor, in a space where the short remains of the wall didn't meet, an area where the door must have been located. Bowing his head, he pulled a scroll from the inside of the cloak, and slowly unrolled it. On the delicate and weathered parchment, an incantation was written, and the man began to chant. As he finished, he carefully rolled up the scroll, and raised his hands in front of him. The cracks between the stones in the floor began to pulse with the sickening yellow light again, and an eerie mist began to slowly seep through. As it rose and swirled in the night air, an almost imperceptible moan rose with it.

"Welcome back, most Dark and Ominous one..." The man greeted with a crisp British accent as he bowed down on one knee in front of the rising mist. It merely moaned again in response.

"You must be disoriented, after being trapped under the surface for so long, so I will make my request quick; plans have been put into motion... plans which will make your dreams far easier to achieve... however, there is one hitch... we considered remedying the problem ourselves... but... after much consideration, we believe you would find the honour much more satisfying." the man explained.

The mist's swirling slowed and became more concentrated in one area. It was as though the incorporeal being was listening to the figure, interested in what he was saying.

"The ones who defeated you... they are here... they continue to fight... Now is your chance for revenge: destroy them all."

_"Below the earth lies a serpent_  
_Fire and brimstone_  
_Remove the backbone_  
_Say hello to sunshine_  
_Wake up, you're baptized"_  
- "Ravenous" by Finch

~o~

**A new baddy! What could it be?**

**While I was writing this I managed to slip Olly's last name in almost instantly (it's Eaton, for those who don't remember, cause I don't want you all to have to go all the way back to Chapter 2 and hunt for it!), but I'd been trying desperately to find a way to work Lily's last name into the story since the beginning... it only took me almost 40 chapters to do it... Jeez. Anyway, I had the scene between Xander and Willow at the very beginning of "When She Was Bad" in mind and used it as inspiration when I was writing the beginning of this chapter. I'm kind of using the two of them to explore what could have happened if Willow and Xander had worked out, I guess.**

**So, the first few chapters are on the short side, so I'm actually going to post 3 today! I also don't really want to split up Chapters 40 and 41 because I feel they transition well into each other. **

**Onto the next one! **


	40. Chapter 40: Intrusions

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

* * *

_"Who stole the soul_  
_And who stole the heart_  
_And who took the spark from inside of me_  
_Why can't I breathe?"_  
- "Who Stole the Soul" by William Elliott Whitmore

Chapter 40: Intrusions

_Buffy was standing in the middle of a blazing inferno. Judging by the size of the flames, and how the fire had spread to all walls of the building, she should be burning to death; suffocating in the thick, black, smoke, but she was untouched. Peering through the smog, she could make out an altar far off in front of her. She was in a temple, the one she had died in almost a year ago. She moved to run towards the altar, but instead she floated, as though she were walking underwater. As she stepped through the charred debris and the hot flames, completely unsinged, she could begin to make out a group of people standing at the altar. She drew nearer still, and could finally make out the faces of the people waiting for her; there was Giles, Willow, and Spike, but more chillingly, Xander stood with them. Faith was at his side, and Angel, in his old body, stood beside her. She focused her attention to the petite woman standing in the middle of all of them, and froze. It was her. Her old self stood between them all, the same disappointed expression painted on all their faces. Suddenly she stepped away from the group, and approached Buffy in the middle of the flames._

_ "It should have stopped here." she whispered, and pushed something rectangular, metallic, and cold into her hands. Buffy looked down to see the small silver picture frame holding the photograph of young Madeline and her mother._

The shrill sound of her cell phone ringing shocked her out of her dream. She rolled over onto her back, and took a deep breath before feeling for her phone on the bedside table.

"Hello?" She answered once it reached her ear.

"Erm, Buffy? I'm sorry to wake you so early, I know it's your first day of class, but I need you to come by the bookstore... i-it's a very important matter."

Buffy groaned, and pulled her phone away from her ear to look at the time, "Giles, it's seven A.M..."

"I know, I'm sorry, but it's very important."

As the fog of her dream began to dissipate, Buffy could hear a nervous sense of urgency in Giles voice, she knew he wouldn't have woken her without good reason.

"Alright, I'm getting up. I'll be there soon." she replied, then hung up the phone.

She sat up in bed, and gazed across her room at the small photo of her smiling mother – no – Madeline's mother sitting on her dresser, and frowned. She hated when she had bizarre dreams, mostly because ninety percent of the time they meant something big and scary was about to happen, but she couldn't wrap her head around this one. She had died in that fire, what was supposed to end there? If she wasn't supposed to be in Braebrook, then how had she ended up here? As she got out of bed and pulled on some clothes she decided she was best to tell Giles about the strange nightmare after he'd explained what was going on.

~o~

Willow sat alone in Giles' office, yawning, as she waited for Buffy to show up. She'd been up late doing last minute preparations for her classes this semester, and would have very much liked to sleep in, but Giles had sounded rather agitated when he called her, and had hurried over without even stopping for coffee. Feeling guilty, Giles had offered to buy her one (since he didn't drink the vile stuff himself), and had left her alone in the shop in case Buffy arrived while he was gone – or by some miracle a customer came in off the street. The phone sitting on Giles' desk began to ring, causing Willow to jump. She hastily reached for the receiver.

"Oh... um... Antique Books?" she stammered, suddenly feeling a little foolish.

"Willow?" a male voice from the other end exclaimed.

"Yes...?" Willow replied hesitantly before realizing who the voice belonged to, "Angel?" she gasped.

"Yeah... hi." he muttered.

"Oh my God! Where are you? What's taking you so long?" she rambled excitedly.

"I, um, I'm in London actually, at the Council." he replied, still sounding uneasy.

"Oh... well, have you found the Romani yet? What did they say?" she asked, calming her tone slightly, in hopes of easing Angel.

"No... there's been a lot of stuff going on that they haven't been able to deal with since Buffy... well, you know."

"Right..." Willow mused, when his full sentence hit her, "Wait, you mean you haven't even been to Romania yet? What are you waiting for?"

Angel sighed, "I love you Willow, but Giles is so much easier to talk to..."

Willow frowned, "You mean you've been talking to Giles all this time?"

"Yeah," Angel gulped, imagining the furious Sorceress on the other end of the line.

"Did you tell him not to say anything? Cause that's terrible! Just terrible! Buffy is miserable for your information!" she scolded him.

"I know, and it's killing me... but please don't tell her you spoke with me." Angel begged, "I don't want this being harder on her than it has to."

Willow sighed, everything in her told her to run to Buffy and spill the whole conversation, let her know that Angel was at least alright, that's what a best friend would do, right? But she knew Angel had a point, knowing that he hadn't even made his way to Eastern Europe yet would probably just make the wait even more agonizing for her. "Alright, I won't say a word."

"Thank you Willow, I mean it." Angel replied.

"So what do you need to speak to Giles about?" she asked.

"You mean he hasn't told you yet?"

"Told me what?"

Angel was quiet on the other end of the line.

"Angel?"

"I'm here. Listen, is Giles around?"

"No..."

"Alright, when he gets back tell him to call me... it's important."

Willow's stomach began to knot, she was used to Angel being dark and broody, but it had been awhile since he'd played the cryptic card, "Is everything alright Angel?"

"It's nothing to worry about." he assured her, though his tone was not very convincing, causing the knot to pull tighter in her abdomen. "Just tell him to call me, okay?"

"I will." she answered uneasily.

"Okay... keep an eye on Buffy." he muttered, sounding a little distracted.

"Okay..." Willow replied softly, and the line went dead.

Willow placed the receiver back in the cradle, and stared at the phone with a deep-set frown on her face. She wondered what could possibly be going on to have both Giles and Angel in such a flap, and why had Angel bothered to tell her to keep an eye on Buffy before hanging up? Before she had time to delve deeper into any hypotheses, she heard the tiny bell ring from over the shop front door.

"Giles? I'm here! What gives?" she heard Buffy shout.

Jumping to her feet, Willow hurried out of Giles' office, and ran to meet Buffy, who had already made it to the bottom of the stairs. "Buffy! Hi!" she exclaimed, with a rather forced smile on her face.

"Hi Will..." Buffy replied hesitantly, scrutinizing the redhead's odd behaviour.

"Giles had to step out quickly, he should be back any minute."

"Okay," Buffy shrugged, turning and throwing herself into one of the chairs around the table, "So do you know what this is all about?"

Willow followed Buffy to the table, and slid into the chair next to her, "No idea. I just got woken up at an ungodly hour and told to come down here."

"That makes two of us..." Buffy grumbled, "All set for another exciting semester?"

Willow grinned, but didn't have time to respond, as Giles rushed through the front door gripping a coffee cup in his hand and looking quite flustered.

"Good lord, coffee shops are chaos in the morning..." he muttered as he crossed the room and placed the cup down in front of Willow.

"People are monsters before they get their morning fix of caffeine... where's mine?" Buffy pouted.

Giles glared at her, clearly not willing to make another trip into the madness, before digging into his jacket pocket, "I didn't want to ruin it, so..." he dumped a small pile of creamers and sugar packets on the table beside Willow's coffee. She smiled in amusement, "Thanks Giles."

He nodded appreciatively to her, before shrugging off his jacket and slumping into a chair opposite the two girls.

"So what gives Giles? What's with the early morning distress call?" Buffy asked finally.

Giles ruffled expression gave way to a more solemn one. He removed his glasses and began to clean them with a handkerchief from his pocket. "Yes... I-I received a phone call early this morning from the Council." he began.

Willow stiffened, Giles had called them there because of a phone call from the Council? Then Angel had called, from the Council headquarters so soon afterwards? The knot in her stomach now felt more like a pretzel, nothing good could be going on.

"Do you remember Ilona?" he asked Buffy, "She-"

"One of the potentials in Berlin. Of course I remember her Giles, I trained her myself." Buffy answered. She was a young girl, well, as young as Buffy was now. Buffy had tracked her down four years ago and spent months training her extensively. She had been a quick study, and Buffy had left her in the care of a Watcher confident that she could take down anything that crossed her path.

"Yes..." Giles paused, sighed, and replaced his glasses on his nose. "I'm afraid I have bad news."

Buffy's expression fell, and Willow gripped her coffee cup with white knuckles.

"Wh-what is it Giles?" Buffy whispered.

"She... she was killed." he said softly, "Late last night."

Buffy silently studied Giles' sorrowful face as an immense feeling of dread washed over her. Since the destruction of Sunnydale, there hadn't been a single Slayer killed. With Willow's magical aid, and eventually the resources of the newly built Council, Buffy, Faith, and on occasion Angel and Spike had tracked down every last potential they could and trained them. That aside, there hadn't been any apocalyptic battles since the First had been destroyed, and with Buffy and Faith free to travel and investigate the more serious threats, most of the slaying the others were doing was simply run-of-the-mill vampires and demons. The fact that something so mundane had taken down such a young and promising young warrior left Buffy cold.

"H-how? What happened Giles?" Buffy murmured as tears collected in the corners of her eyes.

"They don't know yet. Her Watcher was severely injured, they assume trying to save her. He's currently unconscious, and in critical condition at the hospital."

"Poor Frederick..." Willow muttered, shaking her head.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Buffy did her best to put on a brave face, "They'll let us know if he wakes up, right?" she asked.

"I would assume so, yes." Giles replied.

"Good," Buffy nodded, "Call the Council back, tell them that they need to monitor the other Slayers, and let us know if there are any other suspicious attacks." she ordered, rising from her seat and hoisting her heavy book bag over her shoulder, "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a three hour lecture on the poetry of Yeates that I need to slay."

Giles frowned, "Are you sure you're alright to go to class?"

Buffy nodded, moving towards the door, "Yeah, being bored to death doesn't really seem all that bad in comparison right now." she replied sarcastically as she pushed through the door and swept down the street.

Giles sighed, removing his glasses, and began to massage his temples. Willow remained seated across from him, morosely turning her coffee cup in her hands.

"Giles, I need to tell you something..."

~o~

Angel exited the small study shortly after his conversation with Willow, and trudged down the long hallway of the Council headquarters. Though it was only one in the afternoon, the grey, overcast, English weather made it easy for him to move around during the day, provided he stayed indoors. Speaking with Willow had just made him long to be back in Braebrook more. He was getting anxious to make his way to Romania, to know the truth and to get back to Buffy. He sighed, and still looking at the carpet beneath his feet, nearly ran right into someone turning the corner in front of him.

"Ah! Angel! Did you get in touch with Mr. Giles?" the person asked anxiously.

Looking up, Angel found a thin middle-aged man standing in front of him, wearing a crisp and expensive looking grey business suit, his black hair beginning to grey around his ears. It was Carter Ashcroft, one of the two men, the other being a Nathaniel Claymore, who had come to Buffy and Giles with the proposal of rebuilding the Council, Since Giles had wished to stay in the field, and help Buffy and the others, they had been granted the joint position of Council Chairman, though they always consulted Giles before making any decisions.

"No Carter, but I spoke with Willow, he'll call us when he gets the message."

"Very well... how are they taking the news?" he asked sombrely.

"They don't know yet." Angel sighed.

"Oh dear..."he muttered. "Well, at any rate, I do have some good news." Ashcroft continued, placing a guiding hand at Angel's elbow, and leading him down a connecting hallway, and up to his office door.

"Oh?" Angel asked. He'd been hanging around the Council long enough that he should feel at ease, and Ashcroft and the other Watchers had all been extremely hospitable towards him, but for some reason, despite it being under new management, the fact that he was wandering the halls of an organization that had been bent on eradicating his kind since before recorded history, still made him uneasy.

"Yes. It seems an old friend of yours has finally decided to stop by." Ashcroft said as he opened his office door, to find Claymore sitting in an ornate armchair beside his desk. Nathaniel was quite a few years younger than Ashcroft, his sandy blond hair had yet to grey, and despite his clothing looking just as luxurious as Carter's, he'd lost the suit jacket, and his dress shirt was slightly rumpled, the collar undone. Angel nodded to the man, before glancing to the other side of the office, where a woman stood facing a large wall of books, her dark hair hung loose in wild curls down her back. She wore a pair of tight-fitting jeans, and a cropped brown leather motorcycle jacket with combat boots that were untied.

"You have some mighty morbid reading material Ashy-Baby..." she mused before turning around and noticing Ashcroft's guest. She looked him up and down with a smirk on her face, "Hello, Handsome." she purred, "You're doing a good job of recruiting eye-candy for the new slayers there Carter... if my Watcher looked like _that_ I might've listened a bit better..."

Angel shook his head and chuckled, "Good to see you again, Faith."

Her brow knitted together, and she studied Angel's face for a moment, "Sorry sweetheart, but I don't think we've met... I'm pretty sure I'd remember you."

"Actually, Faith, this may come as a shock to you-" Ashcroft began.

"It's Angel, Faith. I'm Angel." Angel interrupted, knowing it would do no good beating around the bush with the brash slayer.

A mix of shock and confusion crossed her features, and she began to approach Angel, scrutinizing every inch of him. Stopping only a few feet in front of him, she finally paused and looked him in the eyes. Her mouth dropped open slightly, and she remained uncharacteristically silent for what seemed like forever.

"Jesus Christ..." she muttered finally, "What the hell happened to you?"

Angel frowned, then looked to Ashcroft and Claymore, who had suddenly turned to stare at each other, their complexions turning ashen. He looked back to Faith who was still staring at him with her mouth agape, "You mean... you don't know?" he asked.

"Know what?" she questioned.

"Oh dear..." Angel heard Claymore murmur from behind him.

"I think you should sit down, Faith." Angel said as gently as possible.

This would be an interesting conversation.

~o~

**Alright, I know a lot of people have mixed feelings about Faith, but I love her character (and Eliza Dushku, but I guess that's not really relevant)! I had plans to write her into the story from the beginning, I just find her attitude so much fun to explore.**

**It's weird to say, but I think Claymore and Ashcroft might be two of my favourite OC's in this story... they hang around for a bit, and I had fun writing them.**


	41. Chapter 41: Apparitions

**Update number three!  
I think it actually makes sense that I'm doing this, now basically everything you need to know for the rest of the story has been set up, so now you can just sit back and yell at me about Angel not being in Romania yet! **

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

* * *

Chapter 41: Apparitions

Ashcroft and Claymore ducked again, as another priceless, and very breakable object went flying at their heads, and smashed against the wall of books behind them. Angel believed it looked quite a bit like a Ming Vase, and cringed slightly when he noted how many pieces it had shattered into on the floor.

"YOU SONS OF BITCHES!" Faith hollered, before picking up an antique globe and wound her arm back, ready to throw. Angel quickly lunged at her, gingerly prying the spinning globe from her fingers, and placing it back down on the shelf.

"Faith, just-" he stammered, trying to take her hand.

"No! I'm sorry, but no!" she fumed, marching up to Ashcroft's desk and slamming her hands down on its surface, leaning over the large piece of furniture with a murderous glare in her eyes as she confronted the two chairmen who had been using it to shield her attacks. "The closest person I have to family has actually been _alive_ for almost an entire _year_ and it doesn't occur to you to tell me?"

"F-f-faith, I know how this must seem, but you've always instructed us quite vehemently to not contact you while you're in the field..." Ashcroft stammered, "and that aside, you went AWOL after Buffy's apparent death, we had no way to reach you."

"That's bullshit and you know it Carter!" she growled, "You could have just called Willow, or any other of your magical liaisons to conjure up some sort of locating spell!"

"Y-yes that's very true Faith, and we're very sorry, we truly are." Claymore jumped in, speaking in a far more collected manner than Ashcroft had been, "We didn't realize you'd be away for so long... it... it just got to a point where we figured you would have contacted Buffy's friends and found out on your own, so..."

Faith snorted, "Oh, enough with the excuses! This is ridiculous!" she seethed, "I'm out of here... I can't talk to you people right now."

She stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind her, causing a few more artifacts in the room to shake precariously.

The two Watchers let out a sigh in unison, before Ashcroft pulled a handkerchief out of his breast pocket and began to dab lightly at his forehead. Claymore simply ran a shaky hand through his hair, and crossed the room to sink back into the armchair.

"I'll go... diffuse her, if you don't mind." Angel said quietly, moving towards the door.

"By all means." Nathaniel chuckled nervously, Ashcroft simply nodded as he shakily lowered himself into his desk chair.

When Angel walked out into the hallway and turned the corner, he found Faith standing calmly in the hallway, the rage she'd displayed just moments ago mysteriously evaporated. She simply stared out the window at the Thames below as if in a daze.

"Sorry for that scene in there." she murmured.

"No big deal, I've seen you do worse." he replied, leaning against the wall next to her.

She smirked, "Gee, thanks for reminding me." she turned her attention to Angel, and looked him up and down once more, shaking her head in amazement. "God... what does Buffy look like?"

Angel chuckled, but his expression quickly changed as he began to picture Buffy's face, her now-green eyes sparkling with un-shed tears as he left her standing in the cemetery.

Faith giggled mischievously, "I get it... hot stuff, huh?"

One of the corners of Angel's mouth tugged upwards in a half-grin, but he said nothing else as he found himself once again wishing that he was already on his way back to Buffy.

"Man, no fair... I want to be nineteen again! Eighteen years of Slaying is starting to catch up with me." she chuckled, clasping her hands behind her back to stretch out her shoulders. Taking note of Angel's expression, she frowned, "Okay, so here's my next question: If Buffy two-point-oh is such a hottie, why's she all the way back in California, when you're all the way over here?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Angel's expression became more grim, if it were possible, and he lifted his hand to rub the back of his head, "It's a long story..." he said.

"Well, right now, I've got nothing but time." Faith answered with a supportive smile. Angel pushed himself off the wall, and Faith hooked her hand around his arm, guiding him down the hallway as he began to retell the events of the last year.

~o~

Buffy sat in her first class barely listening. With her head propped up in her hand, she was only moments away from falling asleep. She scowled, realizing that with the tragic news Giles had broke to her, she'd forgotten to mention her dream to him. She had time, she supposed... time that Ilona would never get. She wondered what could have possibly happened, and feared for the safety of all her other slayers out there across the globe.

Realizing that she had not registered a single word the professor had said in at least the past twenty minutes, she shook her head, sitting up straight in her chair, and blinking a few times to wake herself up. Gripping her pen a bit tighter, she prepared herself to start taking notes, when she suddenly felt someone's eyes on her. It was an eerie feeling, almost as though something predatorial had her in its sights. Slowly, trying to be as discreet as possible, she turned her head, and began to scan the other students. The majority of them looked about as engaged as Buffy had moments ago, staring at the professor with glazed over eyes. Others were taking notes vigilantly, while a small group whispered covertly in the back corner.

Finally, casting her gaze down to the front few rows of the class, what she discovered sitting there chilled her to the bone. Sitting three rows from the front, in the seat closest to the wall, was a young woman in her early thirties, long blonde hair cascading down her shoulders, her hazel eyes glaring icily up at Buffy. It was herself, her old self, the body that should have burned to a cinder in the temple in Thailand.

She was so distracted she didn't even hear the professor dismiss the class, and jumped to gather her things as she finally noticed the other students begin to file out of the classroom. As she rose from her seat, she looked back to the seat near the wall... it was now empty. Buffy blinked, and chewing on her bottom lip, turned to leave the classroom, she moved down the busy hallway, her hands tightly gripping the strap of her book bag, as her eyes flicked quickly to each face that passed her. Was she hallucinating? Was it because of her dream last night? Just as she had walked far enough without seeing the former Buffy again, and was willing to convince herself that her eyes were playing tricks on her, a voice whispered in her ear.

"Miss me?" it sung.

Buffy spun around, to see her former self following her closely down the hallway. Her eyes wide, she spun back around and continued walking, but the old Buffy followed her.

"You're not real." Buffy whispered harshly, keeping her eyes locked in front of her.

"Neither are you, if you think about it... you're a fraud." the other hissed.

"At least I'm not barbeque... now get lost."

She chuckled darkly, "I will... but only for now. I plan on sticking around for awhile... you and I are going to have a lot of fun."

Buffy span around again, to confront the hallucination, but she was gone, leaving Buffy alone in the middle of the hallway, as the other students manoeuvred to get around her.

~o~

Buffy flew into the bookstore, panting heavily, her hair windblown and in her face. Lily and Olly, who had been sitting at the table snuggled together rather closely, suddenly jumped apart, and Willow who was using the register counter as a desk looked up inquisitively at the flustered slayer.

"Where's Giles?" she breathed.

"He's-"

"I'm right here." he interrupted Willow. Buffy looked to the top of the steps where Giles stood. He looked ghostly pale, shaken, and weak. He gripped the bannister tightly, as though he needed it to hold himself up.

"Giles? What's wrong?" Willow gasped, rounding the counter and making her way towards the stairway.

"I just got off the phone with the Council again..." he paused, looking at Willow pointedly. She froze, and instead stood gripping the back of a chair. Giles looked back to Buffy, who still stood just inside the door, catching her breath, "There's been more deaths since last night..." he said softly.

The words rung in Buffy's ears. She felt her stomach sink, and her palms begin to sweat. She opened her mouth a few times, but no words came out.

"More Slayers?" Willow asked timidly.

Giles nodded.

"Who?" Buffy finally managed to murmur. All thoughts of her mysterious doppelganger instantly flew from her mind. There was something serious occurring, something that could send shock waves across the world.

"Um... Yuki, in Kyoto... and Skyla in Edinburgh." Giles murmured.

Buffy covered her face with her hands. Yuki she had never met, Faith had trained her, but Skyla she'd become very close with since the Council had bought the headquarters for Buffy in Edinburgh. Infact, the last big battle they'd fought there against the sect of sorcerers, Skyla had been instrumental. Buffy found it almost incomprehensible that someone as skilled as her could have been overpowered. Her thoughts immediately flew to her family; Skyla had spoken almost non-stop about her older brother, they'd clearly been extremely close. She felt her heart break as she imagined the pain he and her parents must be experiencing... she was only seventeen.

"What happened? Do they know this time?" she finally managed to croak.

"No." Giles said simply, causing Buffy to retreat behind the palm of her hand again, and Willow to sink into a chair in devastation. Olly unconsciously reached for Lily's hand, feeling as though they were missing vital information about what was going on, yet understanding that whatever it was, was grave.

"Yuki's Watcher is missing..." Giles continued finally, "And Skyla's... Rowan..." he stammered to a halt, the words unwilling to leave his lips. During his last visit to Buffy in Scotland, he'd made fast friends with the young and enthusiastic Watcher, much to Buffy's dismay. She'd been expecting the older, and now more mellow Giles to butt heads with the energetic, and very hands-on younger man. However after a couple of Scotches, the two were laughing together as though they had been friends their whole lives. "Rowan was killed as well." he finally stammered, "Preliminary investigations lead them to believe he attacked whatever had gotten the upper hand with Skyla and..." he stopped speaking, and looking to the floor he shuddered.

Buffy managed to stumble to the register counter for support, breathing heavily she blinked back more tears, and tried valiantly to collect her thoughts.

"They have to warn the others now!" She yelled, "This isn't an isolated incident anymore, everyone needs to know what's happening!" she slammed her fist down on the counter, leaving a small dent in the wood.

"Yes, they're contacting the other Watchers as we speak." Giles replied, his voice barely audible.

Buffy nodded solemnly, chewing her bottom lip, and slightly regretting her outburst, the others were grieving as well, she needed to remain strong, focused, she needed them to know that if it came down to it, she would keep her girls safe.

"I'm gonna... go clear my head." she mumbled.

"Yes... of course." Giles muttered.

"I'm... I'm sorry you guys." she whimpered before turning and exiting the shop. As she stepped outside, she looked across the street to see her old body leaning casually against a lamp post, smirking at her in amusement. With a heavy sigh, Buffy glared back, before turning and storming down the street, she wasn't in the mood to entertain her subconscious.

_"God give me the strength to keep it together  
And keep my family safe I pray  
Give me two hands to hold up over my head  
To try to keep this storm at bay "  
_- "Call If You Need Me" by The Wooden Sky

~o~

**Let's talk about Faith's outburst! Which I hope translated well into writing, because in my head it's hilarious... anyway, like I've previously mentioned, I still haven't seen Season 7. I do know Faith comes back, and I'm under the impression that she and Buffy sort-of reconciled (I could be wrong...), but at any rate, Buffy is a reasonable and forgiving person when she wants to be, and from what I can vaguely remember happened on AtS, Faith was willing to take responsibility for her actions and change. In my made up Universe, Buffy and Faith have been working together all this time and are close again. It may seem like I'm giving a lot of characters too much credit, but in my opinion, if I had faced as much death and destruction as most of them have, I'd probably have a lot of hindsight, and wouldn't be too into holding grudges.  
Long story short, Faith has a sisterly bond with Buffy once more, and acted out in a very Faith-like way about being left in the dark. The end.  
Also, don't worry and get riled up about Angel and Faith, they've bonded over their dark pasts, nothing more! **

** So, something is haunting Buffy, and something is assassinating Slayers... what could it be!**

**I'm not telling yet.**

**Until next week!**

**(Reviews let me know what you think!)**


	42. Chapter 42: The River Runs Red

**Another week, another update! I hope everyone's having a lovely weekend.**  
**So, just to address my whole lack of seeing Season 7; though I haven't watched it, I did try to look up what I could about what happened to get a vague understanding. So although it's very possible that some similarities occur, I think you'll see as the plot progresses that it's different.**

**As for the dying Slayers, that's a bit of a blunder on my part, while I was reading up on Caleb, it was my understanding that he was only killing the potentials that turned up in Sunnydale, not all over the world... so, my bad... although there is a reason for this to be happening, and all will reveal itself in time! **

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

* * *

"_It's been thirteen seconds  
__Since you all last said  
__I've become the apparition  
__You predicted for my death"  
_- "Frances the Mute" by The Mars Volta

Chapter 42: The River Runs Red

Buffy threw the snarling vampire into the side of the mausoleum before jumping in the air and slamming her foot right in the side of its face. With a sickening crunch, she felt his skull crack beneath the sole of her boot, and she staked him quickly, putting him out of his misery before turning to attack another. Although it had been a busy summer slaying-wise, it seemed the vampires had increased in force over the past week, as Spike and herself were outnumbered six-to-one. Lashing her leg out in a high kick, she managed to catch one in the chest, before spinning gracefully to upper-cut another in the jaw. Staking her quickly, she turned her attention to the remaining four, taking a moment to glance at Spike as he wailed on his own attackers furiously.

"Bloody Hell, Buffy! What's gotten into these Bastards tonight?" Spike hollered as he slammed his elbow into one of the vampire's noses, before grabbing him by the back of the head, and throwing him into another vampire that charged at him.

"Less talking! More slaying!" Buffy yelled back, ducking a punch, then tripping her opponent before staking him.

What seemed like a lifetime later, they had managed to dust all of their foes, and stood back to back in silence, waiting for the next wave.

"I think that might be it..." Buffy whispered.

"Thank. God." Spike groaned as he dropped his fists to his side, and turned to face her.

"Wimp." Buffy grinned. There hadn't been any more Slayers or Watchers reported dead or missing in the past week, and the mysterious ghost-Buffy seemed to have disappeared. That, coupled with her getting to work out some of her frustration by pummelling vamps every night, she was feeling a lot better.

"Slag." Spike teased.

Buffy rolled her eyes, but her smile faded as she looked past Spike to discover her past-self perched atop a headstone, a wicked grin painted on her face. Spike peered at Buffy, then checked behind him. Discovering nothing there he turned back to her.

"You alright Pet?" he asked.

Buffy snapped her attention back to him, "Yeah... yeah! I'm good..." she replied, still distracted by ghost-Buffy who'd now slid down off the tombstone, and had begun to slowly make her way towards the two of them.

"You sure?" Spike pried, "Cause... there's a lot goin' on right now... I mean, clearly it's given you an edge when you're killin' things, but..." he paused, unsure of his words, and Buffy watched in quiet horror as her ghostly self wrapped her arms around Spike's torso, peeking her head over his shoulder to smirk at Buffy. He didn't even blink, or show any sign that he felt someone touching him.

She chuckled, "Mmmm, good to see his brief stint as a human didn't ruin his physique." she purred, running a hand down his chest as she glared at Buffy.

"I know you'd rather have Angel here to comfort you... and don't get all pissy with me about mentioning him alright? Anyway... Skyla was a good kid, and I know you two were close, so, if you ever need to talk..." he paused again, unable to tell if he should continue. Buffy simply continued to stare over his shoulder in a daze. He sighed heavily, "I'm here if you need me, that's all I'm trying to say."

"He's here alright..." the other Buffy muttered, circling him and running the back of her hand down his cheek.

"Um... th-thank you Spike... it means a lot." Buffy stuttered, her eyes flicking back and forth between Spike, and her hallucination.

Spike's brow furrowed and he studied Buffy closer, "Are you _sure_ you're alright?"

"I'm fine! Let's just go alright?" she huffed, turning sharply and stalking away towards the exit.

"Alright, alright!" Spike exclaimed, hurrying to catch up with her.

Buffy looked back to see if the other Buffy had followed them, but discovered only Spike hurrying towards her, the other woman suddenly nowhere to be seen.

~o~

_ Buffy stood in the middle of the burning temple again, this time screams of pain and fear echoed in her ears. Straining to see through the thick smoke, she suddenly saw Ilona, trapped underneath a pile of burning debris, and reaching towards Buffy for help. Buffy tried to reach for her, but found herself paralyzed, unable to move. Another scream caught her attention, and turning she discovered a young Asian girl, who could only be Yuki, lying on the ground, coagulating blood coated her face, being washed away in streaks by her falling tears. She too reached out towards Buffy, and she found herself unable to move to her aid either. _

_ "Help!" Buffy shouted, looking around for an exit, a sign that there was someone else there, anything, when she discovered Skyla, unconscious, and trapped under the burning altar._

_ "Wake up! Wake up!" Buffy screamed, when her old self appeared before her again._

_ "This is your fault." she whispered._

"No!" Buffy found herself shouting as she shot up in her bed. Shaking, she held her head in her hands, and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. What could it mean? Did she blame herself for the young Slayers deaths? If it wasn't for her, they never would have been thrown into this world... Or was there something deeper? Was there something prophetic at work here? She knew she had to speak to Giles this time.

Suddenly, her bedroom door creaked open slowly, and she saw her father peek his head inside.

"Everything okay, Maddy?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied with a reassuring smile, "Just had a bad dream, sorry for waking you."

"It's alright. Sleep tight, Sweetie." he said, then softly closed the door.

It wasn't alright at all, Buffy found herself thinking, as she lay back down on her pillow, staring up at the ceiling.

Either she was losing her mind, or something big was coming.

~o~

Lavinia Claymore sat on the small back porch overlooking the Indian Ocean of her tiny coastal bungalow in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The quarters were far more cramped than the lovely Tudor-style manor she shared with her husband just on the outskirts of London, however the view made up for everything. She turned around to glance through the window at the time displayed on the microwave, it would still be another half an hour at least before Naiobi returned from her nightly patrol. Ever since Nathaniel had called her, warning of the three dead Slayers, she had been adamant that her charge check in with her every night.

She sighed, thinking of how long she had been away from her husband. When he'd told her of his and Ashcroft's plans to contact Buffy Summers, and potentially rebuild the Council, she'd supported him wholeheartedly. So much so, that when Rupert Giles had broken to them that there were simply not enough Watchers for all the Slayers they were discovering, she had enthusiastically agreed to lend her services until they had enough people to fill all the positions. She figured it wouldn't take her away from home for that long, and how could she pass up an opportunity to escape the dreary English weather and live in Africa? What she had not anticipated, however, was how attached she would become to the young girl she had come here to aid. So attached, in fact, that when Nathaniel had finally informed her that they had someone who could replace her in Port Elizabeth, she was reluctant to leave. They'd decided instead, that she would stay there with Naiobi until another Slayer emerged who could handle the area, at which point Lavinia and Naiobi would travel back to London, and work directly for the council.

Her thoughts were disrupted by a loud crash from inside her house, causing her to jump out of her lawn chair. She stood still a few moments, listening for any other noises, before cautiously entering the home. Pausing just inside the back door, she picked up a stake that was lying on the window sill, then continued on. Rounding the corner, her blood ran cold when she discovered a young African girl lying face-down on the hallway rug, the front door flung open behind her.

"Dear God... Naiobi!" Lavinia gasped, rushing to the girl's side and turning her over gently. Naiobi wailed as she was moved, her clothes were splattered in blood, her arms and legs cut and bruised. As Lavinia cradled the statuesque girl like an infant in her arms, she discovered her abdomen had been slashed open, and an endless river of blood seemed to gush out.

"Run... run..." Naiobi whimpered, one of her long, normally elegant arms, flailed almost helplessly, trying to push Lavinia away.

"No!" Lavinia sobbed, pressing her hand over the Slayer's wound. Her stomach churned as she felt how long and deep the gash actually was, and despair swept over her as she realized there was probably nothing she could do to save her. "What happened to you?"

"I couldn't fight... couldn't fight..." the girl wept, her normally fierce, cat-like eyes full of fear and disbelief as they flooded with tears.

"It's okay, it's okay, shhh," Lavinia comforted her, stroking her hair, "We'll call the Council, they'll send someone to help."

"NO!" Naiobi shrieked, her hand finally found Lavinia's shoulder, and she squeezed with all her might. Lavinia's heart jumped into her throat as she felt how weak the girl's grip was.

"I couldn't fight... I had no _strength_" Naiobi insisted, her eyes pleading with Lavinia.

"I-I-I don't understand..." she stammered.

"They took... they took my strength... my power... so I couldn't fight them." she whimpered, she was fighting now to retain consciousness, it was an effort just to speak.

"What?" Lavinia muttered.

"I've lost... my Slayer strength... I don't have the power anymore..." she cried.

Disbelieving, Lavinia merely clutched the twenty-one year old to her chest as her thin frame shook with sobs. "Shhh, shhhh, Dear. It's alright."

"Run... they're coming... I can't... I can't protect you." Naiobi murmured. Her eyelids fluttered, and her arm went limp, sliding off of Lavinia's shoulder.

"Naiobi?" Lavinia whispered, but she was answered only by silence, as the warrior known as Naiobi lay still in her arms. "Oh God..." she whispered, "Oh God, Oh God, no... No, no, no!" she sobbed rocking the girl in her arms.

Suddenly, she heard a low, menacing growl come from just outside the front door, and she turned her attention out to the night. Her face drained of colour, and her eyes grew wide in terror.

"Dear God..."

~o~

**I don't know much about present day South Africa, or Port Elizabeth for that matter, but I needed the attack to be far removed from the rest of the characters in the story, and I wanted it to occur near water (you'll find out why later), so I apologize for any geographical errors. **

**Funny story, I had originally named Lavinia _Lydia_, and then remembered that there was a Watcher named Lydia already... _grumble grumble_. I guess Lavinia suits her better, as she's already a tragic character in literature, and I'm sticking with Joss' penchant for giving his characters bizarre names! **


	43. Chapter 43: The Devil You Know

**Completely unrelated rant: my muse is evil, and has currently forced me to start four, yes FOUR stories at once (2 fanfic and 2 original), I feel like I have ADD, I can't concentrate on which one to finish first! On top of that, another idea popped into my head the other night... I wish I could just hide from the world for a few months and just do nothing but write, then maybe I'll feel like I'm getting somewhere!**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

* * *

"_Eerie whispers  
__Trapped beneath my pillow  
__Won't let me sleep  
__Your memories  
__And I know you're in this room  
__I'm sure I heard you sigh  
__Floating in between  
__Where our worlds collide"  
_- "Thoughts of a Dying Atheist" by Muse

Chapter 43: The Devil You Know

Buffy walked stiffly home from school, her expression dark and stormy as she occasionally cast a glance behind her. Despite the harsh wind and overcast skies, she'd declined a lift home from Olly after the ghost-Buffy had been tailing her all day. She never said a word this time, simply stared with a smirk on her lips, as Buffy attempted to ignore her and continue with her day. She had planned to go to Giles', but decided against it today. She did not need to be trying to explain to Giles what was wrong while an hallucination taunted her over his shoulder, or if this was some sort of evil spirit, she didn't need to be bringing it to the bookstore.

Reaching the bottom of her driveway, she sprinted as fast as she could up to the front door with her key in hand. Unlocking it as swiftly as possible, she flew inside, and slammed the door behind her. Pausing, she took a breath, then turned to look out the window at the street; there was no one there. Kicking off her shoes unceremoniously, she dragged her book bag down the hallway to her bedroom and opened the door, to her dismay she found ghost-Buffy leaning against the window in her room, the same smirk plastered on her face. Buffy threw her bag aside, and lunged at her other self, just as she was about to close her fingers around her throat, she disappeared. Buffy span around, and discovered she'd reappeared behind her, completely unscathed.

"What the hell are you?" she growled.

She laughed, "You've forgotten me already? I'm hurt."

"Quit with the cryptic, you've worn my patience thin! Talk."

"Last time I was around, you didn't much like the talking." she sneered.

"What are you talking about?" Buffy demanded.

She sighed, "I guess I have shared a lot of faces with you... maybe you'll remember me better like this..."

Faster than Buffy could blink, the being before her transformed, and she suddenly found herself face to face with a thin, dark-haired woman, one she hadn't seen alive in years.

"Jenny Calendar?" Buffy muttered in confusion.

"I think I looked a little more like this the first time we met, remember? As I recall it was Christmas... I was having fun tormenting your boyfriend, until you ruined it for me." she grumbled.

Buffy recoiled in horror, "No..."

Jenny laughed, "Surprise."

"What are you doing here?" Buffy hissed.

"Do you really have to ask?"

Buffy's eyes narrowed, and she clenched her fists at her side, "We'll stop you again."

A twisted smile crept over Jenny's lips, "We'll see about that." she growled, and then she was gone.

Just as quickly, Buffy turned and sprinted from her room, she had to get to the bookstore.

~o~

Giles sat in his office, his hands crossed thoughtfully under his chin as Willow, Spike, Lily and Olly all stood in front of his desk, their eyes pleading with him. The harsh thunderstorm that had just broken out was not doing anything for their moods, as thick sheets of rain fell from the sky, and thunder boomed directly overhead.

"Come on Old Man! I wouldn't drag my arse out in the middle of the day if I didn't think there was somethin' wrong." Spike said.

"She's been acting weird Giles, she avoided us all day." Olly agreed, as Lily stood at his side nodding thoughtfully.

"And you should have seen her on patrol last night, her mind was elsewhere, I tell you." Spike added.

Willow frowned, "Actually, come to think of it Giles, I haven't even heard from her in a week..."

"Well what do you want me to do about it? I don't know what's going on in Buffy's head. I'm sure she's just distracted. There's the situation with the other Slayers, school's started up again, Angel's been gone for almost four months now..." Giles replied, casting a secretive glance at Willow, "Can you blame her for being a little out of sorts?"

"There haven't been any reported attacks on any other Slayers in a week Giles, I think there's something else going on." Lily interjected.

Giles sighed and rubbed his forehead, he too had noticed Buffy's despondent behaviour over the past couple of weeks, however he knew her well enough to know that with everything else going on, she wouldn't mention what was troubling her until they'd solved their more pressing problems. Trying to explain this, however, to four concerned friends would not be a walk in the park. "Perhaps we should just let her be awhile, see if she comes around." he suggested.

"But Giles-" Lily began, but she was cut off by the phone ringing.

"Rupert Giles" he said as he brought the receiver to his ear.

The others exchanged frustrated glances as they waited silently.

"Carter, it's good to hear from you..." Giles continued. Suddenly, his expression fell, and the blood drained from his face as he listened to the man on the other end of the line. With his eyes wide in shock, he glanced to Willow, who's features quickly mirrored Giles' as she brought a hand up to her chest. It seemed that suddenly everyone in the room was holding their breath, waiting for Giles to speak. He listened solemnly for what seemed like an eternity, his expression becoming more and more dazed, his eyes glazing over. When he finally opened his mouth, he spoke only three words;

"Lord help us..."

~o~

_Angel crept quietly towards his room in the Council headquarters. The sun had not yet risen, and he didn't wish to wake anyone unnecessarily. Slowly pulling his keys from his pocket, he inserted them into the lock, and slipped through the door. Once inside, he tossed the keys __onto a nearby table, and shrugged off his jacket, tossing it onto a desk chair. Moving further into the large room, he became increasingly aware of another presence there with him. _

_Immediately, he swept across the room, and flicked on the lamp sitting on the bedside table. He had to blink a few times as he stared in confusion at the man who was sitting casually in a large velvet armchair near the balcony door. Being that it had been hundreds of years since he'd last been able to see his reflection, he almost wasn't sure at first, but his mind reeled once he realized that it was in fact his old self, the body he'd occupied from the time he was still human, to just recently, sitting in the chair, staring at him. He smiled, then looked Angel up and down, "Not a bad choice... though I am still pretty hurt that you decided to leave me for another demon..." he said, "Was I not good enough? What did I do wrong?" he asked in mock hurt._

_ Angel narrowed his eyes at the intruder, "Angelus?"_

_ "The one and the same... did you miss me?"_

_ "No." Angel answered flatly, before he realized how crazy it was that he was talking to himself, "You're dead." _

_ "So are you... technicalities." Angelus yawned, crossing his arms behind his head._

_ "No, I mean you were dusted, Buffy killed you. How are you here?" he growled._

_ Angelus simply smirked, "A magician never reveals his tricks."_

_ Snarling, Angel lunged towards the armchair, but before he could grab hold of Angelus, he was gone, leaving Angel grappling at the velvet upholstery._

_ "Temper, temper, Soul-Boy. You wouldn't want to do anything you'd regret now, would you?" Came a voice from behind him. He spun around to find Angelus now leaning against one of the bedposts. _

_ Angel glanced from the armchair, to Angelus, then shook his head, "I'm hallucinating..." he muttered._

_ "Not really..." Angelus chuckled, "Funny, that's the exact same thing Buffy thought when I paid her a visit..." _

_ Angel growled again, his eyes flashing yellow, "You stay away from her..."_

_ A tinkling, feminine laugh floated through the room, and all of a sudden Angel found himself standing face to face with Buffy's old body, "You always try to spoil my fun." she pouted._

_ Angel backed away, horrified and confused, "What the hell are you?" he demanded._

_ Buffy kept pouting, "Gee, you torment someone, try to convince them to kill their lover - or themselves – and they still forget you! What is becoming of the world these days?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest._

_ Angel's eyes grew wide, and he fell backwards into the armchair, "The First... it can't be."_

_ "Oh, but it can." the fake Buffy answered, stalking towards him. She reached the armchair, and leaned over him slowly, "Your little Slayer is in for quite a treat." she whispered, mere inches away from his lips, "Everything's already been put into motion... I hope you make it back home in time to witness me destroying her."_

Suddenly, Angel's eyes snapped open, and he found himself staring up at the canopy of the enormous, antique, four-poster bed in his room at the Council. He sat up, and looked around the room; he was alone, but was left with a strange sense of dread. _Everything's already been put into motion..._ The words echoed in his ears, causing a chill to run up his spine. Had The First really visited him in his sleep? Was there a connection to the mysterious deaths of the three Slayers? The feeling of dread sitting heavy in his stomach, he reached for the phone.

~o~

**So it is The First, you're all a bunch of smarty-pants! ;)  
The question now of course is why? Maybe I'll tell you in the next chapter, but first I have something a little embarrassing to confess: I only realized once I was near finishing this story that I _completely_ forgot about the Harbingers... so please, please, please forgive me for their lack of presence. I don't think it really makes much of an impact though, The First has some new tricks up its sleeve this time around. **

**I know these chapters are a bit on the short side, but I don't want to post too many updates at once, especially since the next few chapters reveal a lot about what's going on and I want to leave you with some surprises!**

**Until next week! **


	44. Chapter 44: And You Will Know Us By

**Surprise! Bit of an early chapter update this week! I have so many ideas swimming around in my head for my other stories that I wanted to get this chapter edited and uploaded early so I could use the whole day tomorrow to write... I need to get some of this written down before my brain short-circuits! If I post another chapter before next weekend it'll be mid-week.**

**Now, I make reference to something in the flashback in Chapter 14, of Buffy's last phone conversation with Angel after Xander was killed. Just thought I'd remind everyone of it because it was 30 chapters ago, and I wouldn't blame any of you for having forgotten about it!**

**Also, there is a brief mention of the Shadow Men in this chapter, I couldn't find much information about them online, so I hope what I've invented makes sense with the way they were used in the show... if it doesn't, well, I'm gonna just pull out my creative license! There is a lot of information in this chapter, I hope it isn't excessive or confusing; this is one of the chapters I've re-read and edited the most out of this whole bloody story because I felt it was really important to get it right. Without revealing anything, I've created a character that is related to a re-occuring character from the show. I tried to look up family information on this particular person on the Buffy wiki, but there wasn't any information... so, if you do happen to know anything, just disregard it within the universe of this story!**

**The title of this chapter is actually the name of a band... I'm not all that crazy about their music, but I think it's a great name.**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who continue to review!**

* * *

Chapter 44: And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead

By the time Buffy reached the bookstore, and burst through the front door she was soaked to the bone and shivering. Thunder cracked overhead just as the door slammed shut behind her.

"The First... The First is in Braebrook... it's back!" She panted, staring pleadingly at the gang gathered around the large mahogany table. Willow turned around to face her, her eyes wide in shock, and her face streaked with tears. Taking a moment to look around, she noticed everyone else seemed to have similar mournful expressions on their faces. In fact, Lily and Olly were so distraught they hadn't even bothered to jump apart when Buffy entered the room.

"The First?" Giles asked in a daze.

"Yes, It's been tailing me for weeks..." she muttered, frowning at the group, "What's going on...?" she asked hesitantly.

"There've been more deaths, Buffy..." Willow murmured, wiping her hand across her cheek.

"No... not now..." Buffy shook her head.

"I'm afraid so..." Giles said, his voice was monotone, distracted, seemingly hopeless.

"How many?" Buffy asked.

"Seven." Spike piped in. "Five more Slayers... two more Watchers... plus two injured and one missin'."

Buffy felt the bile begin to rise in her throat as she approached the table, and slid into a chair with the rest of them, "Who... tell me who..." she whispered.

"Lilia in Melbourne, Navya in Mumbai, their Watchers as well..." Giles began, "Then Raquel in Lisbon, Sasha in Moscow, their Watchers are both in hospital... and finally Naiobi in Port Elizabeth."

Buffy felt her body begin to tremor, all these girls were so young, they should have had their whole lives ahead of them, just like Buffy had, how could this be happening?

"Buffy..." Willow whimpered, "Naiobi's Watcher..." she stammered to a halt as more tears began to pour down her face.

Buffy turned to her, waiting for her to continue, when it dawned on her what Willow was trying to say. Her hand flew to her mouth, and she shook her head in disbelief... "Oh god, no..."

"It was Lavinia Claymore..." she wept, "Nathaniel is beside himself."

Buffy continued to shake her head, the sick feeling in her stomach growing, "Is she...?"

"She's missing." Giles replied solemnly, "There's no trace of her."

Buffy leaned back and sunk into her chair as she thought of the gracious woman who had, without a second thought, thrown herself in harm's way in order to help her husband's cause. She had been so supportive, such a huge help in re-building the Council. Nathaniel had been weary of letting her take charge of a Slayer, especially one so far from home, but she understood the importance of the Slayer having someone there for support, and insisted that she lend a hand. To think she could possibly be dead, and it could very well be all Buffy's fault... she cringed and took a deep breath.

"This... it's getting more widespread. How can no one know what's happening?" she asked.

"I don't know." Giles said.

"All those books, and not one that can help?" Olly asked flatly.

"You won't find any help in your books." came a chuckle from behind them.

Everyone turned towards the front door, puzzled by how they hadn't heard the bell ring when he entered. Standing in the middle of the room was a middle-aged man, dressed in a suit and trench coat, a black umbrella clutched in one of his hands as rain droplets dripped onto the tile floor. Buffy peered at the man, she recognized him, but couldn't place where she'd seen him, it was swimming hazily in the back of her mind. Giles slowly rose from his chair, his eyes wide in shock.

"Hello, Rupert." the man said, a sinister grin plastered on his face.

"You know him?" Buffy asked, moving protectively between Giles and the mysterious man, Giles' acquaintances had a history of not being the friendliest sort of people.

"What are you doing here Travers?" Giles demanded, ignoring Buffy's question.

"Travers?" Buffy exclaimed suspiciously.

"What do you think?" He answered, still smiling.

Frustrated, Buffy went back to staring at the intruder, wracking her brain for why she could possibly recognize this strange man... when it finally dawned on her. He had been dressed much differently; khaki shorts and short-sleeved button up shirt, a brimmed hat sitting on his head as he chauffeured her to the airport, and politely asked her if she was alright after fighting with Angel on the phone. "I know you... You were my driver in Ecuador." she whispered.

Travers' smile grew wider, "Byron Travers," he said, extending his hand towards her. She simply stared at it suspiciously.

"As in Quentin Travers' son." Giles interjected.

"What?" Buffy exclaimed.

Byron quickly retracted his hand, "The one and the same."

"Who's Quentin Travers?" Lily asked softly.

"The old Big-Kahuna of the Watcher's Council, he went out with a bang, if you catch my drift." Spike explained, "He had quite the disdain for Buffy here... I hope you've come for some revenge or somethin' of the like, we're all havin' a bit of a bad day, I could do to let off some frustration." he snarled.

"That won't be necessary, William," Byron spat, "I'm merely here to perhaps shed some light on the rather... unfortunate... recent events."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Buffy growled, her arms folded across her chest and her eyes narrowed towards the unwelcome guest.

"I believe your Slayer ranks have diminished in number, no?" he chuckled.

In a split second, Buffy had her hand around his throat, and had him pinned to the cash counter. She stood over him, her eyes blazing with anger, "What do you know?" she demanded.

"Ah, ah, ah, Miss Summers, you catch more flies with honey."

"Don't be a ponce, Byron." Giles seethed from over Buffy's shoulder, "Tell us what you know."

"Do you mind?" he said, motioning to Buffy's hand. She released him from her grip, and he straightened his tie as he stood.

"Now talk." Buffy demanded, her heart pounding furiously, "And when you're done, you can tell me what the hell you were doing driving my ass around in South America."

Byron chuckled again, "It will all make sense, Miss Summers, if you just let me explain."

"Well, how about you quit stalling then?" Olly called from the table.

Byron cast the boy an irritated glance, then focused back on Buffy, "I'm only telling you this because now there is no stopping it, what's been put into motion cannot be reversed. Not even by your Witch."

"This _Witch_, will liquify all the bones in your body if you don't start talking." Willow threatened, rising from her chair defiantly.

"I mean no disrespect Miss Rosenberg, you've proven a force not to reckon with." Byron replied with a smile, "I merely mean to say, that there is nothing you can do to stop your Slayers from meeting their end, and though it is a little self-centered of me, I just had to see your reaction."

Buffy glared at the man stonily, awaiting his explanation.

"I was still in training when the Council was destroyed... when my father was killed... therefore I was not at the office when the explosion occurred." he began, as he started to pace around the large table in the middle of the shop. Spike, Lily and Olly all regarded him wearily as he neared each of them. "Myself, along with a few other Watchers-in-Training who were absent from the office on that fateful day were furious, we vowed we would take down whoever was responsible."

"We weren't responsible for the explosion, Byron." Giles spat.

"Yes, we realized this. However, my father's disapproval of Buffy's methods, and our shock upon discovering that she had shared her sacred power with the dormant Slayers... well, it was enough of a reason to go through with our plan." Travers continued.

"What plan?" Buffy snarled. Her patience was wearing thin, and her stomach was beginning to churn as her imagination ran wild with the possibility of what he would reveal next.

"Ashcroft foolishly contacted me, thinking I would be interested in aiding him and that Claymore in rebuilding the Council... a council that would support your silly whim of creating an army of Slayers... I declined, however what he neglected to think of was how many other former Watchers were just as opposed to this new movement as I was. We made it our mission to destroy this new organization, and we knew in order to do it, we would have to take down the Slayers it was created to support."

Rage began to boil inside of Buffy, "You did this? You're killing them?" she whispered.

"Indirectly, yes." Travers replied simply.

Buffy moved to lunge at him again, however Giles caught her by the arm, "Let him finish Buffy," he muttered, before casting his turmoiled gaze back to their guest, "What have you done, Byron?"

"We had in our possession a very old incantation, one created by the Shadow Men, and kept secret, that could strip the Slayer of her powers if it was required they do so. Thankfully it wasn't destroyed during the explosion at the Council, as it was deemed too valuable, and was kept hidden elsewhere. My father entrusted me with it's location, in case something was to befall him. With some... alterations... we managed to shape it to our needs, and created a spell that would strip all Slayers of their powers, and channel them into one, singular Chosen One, as it was meant to be from the beginning."

The room grew chillingly still and quiet as they listened to the ex-Watcher speak. Buffy felt her temperature rise, beads of sweat formed on her brow as her heartbeat began to rise into her throat. She could feel Giles' grip tightening around her shoulder, his nails digging into her flesh, but she welcomed the pain.

"We thought it would be the dawn of a new era, that we could choose a new Slayer; one who would follow the rules that had been laid out all those millennia ago. However, this was not to be the case. Due to some misunderstandings in the original text, we didn't realize that the power had to be channelled back into the one from who it had been unleashed." he hissed, glaring coldy at Buffy, "If we'd known, we would have waited longer to have you killed."

Her stomach dropped like a stone, "What?" she stammered.

"You wanted to know what I was doing in Ecuador, didn't you, my dear Miss Summers? Well, I was there to awaken our assassin, to send him after those poor villagers, to lure you away from your network of support, and have you killed in order to call a new Slayer... of course, I should have anticipated that you wouldn't come alone. Your friend, Alexander, I thought would be in the way at first, but he proved useful in the end."

Willow gasped, and Buffy refused to turn around, afraid of the look she might find on her friend's face, "You... you sent that thing after Xander?" she whimpered, fighting valiantly to keep her tears from falling.

"I was planning on sending it after you, however I took a chance, assuming you would stop at nothing to kill the demon that slaughtered one of your loved ones. Their kind has a strong code, they don't kill anyone that hasn't been targeted. So I drew it further and further away, until you were alone, and carelessly blinded by revenge, and then ordered it to take you down."

"This doesn't make any sense!" Olly shouted, rising angrily from his seat, "Buffy's here now! She has been for a year and she still has her powers!"

"Yeah... Buffy, don't listen to this wanker! I bet he's the First in disguise, he's messin' with us all!" Spike added.

"I'm not finished yet, Gentlemen!" Travers chuckled, "As I said, we didn't realize that Buffy had to be alive in order for the power to transfer back to her. We believe, as a consequence, Buffy's soul was put into another Slayer's body, so that the spell could be completed."

"Maddy was a Slayer?" Lily asked in confusion.

"As it turns out, yes."

Buffy's mind reeled, how could Madeline have been a Slayer? She had no memories of ever fighting any vampires before she'd reunited with Giles, and how could they have not been able to locate her?

"Her powers were still dormant. Repressed, we assume, by a trauma." Byron explained.

Buffy thought of Madeline's mother, and her long, exhausting battle with cancer, had young Maddy been so distraught over her mother's illness, so afraid of leaving her father alone, that she repressed her calling?

"As for why this has taken so long to come to fruition, our only hypothesis is that there was some confusion due to Buffy's change of identity. We believe the power took some time to recognize its true holder... but now that it has found her again, the process should speed up exponentially. Within the next few weeks, the assassins will take care of the others, and there will be no one left alive but you... then finally, with a little help from one of your old enemies, we'll destroy you, and your band of Merry Men as well... and thus will begin the new era of Slaying; the way things should have stayed all along." he hissed, a twisted grin growing larger and larger over his features.

Blinded by fury, Buffy ripped herself away from Giles, and grabbed Byron Travers by the front of his shirt, punching him squarely in the jaw, splitting his lip, she threw him backwards into the wall and pinned him there, "I should kill you right now." she growled, her hand around his throat.

Byron merely continued to grin, blood coating his teeth, "But you won't." he sneered, pushing her away. She stumbled backwards, her head still spinning, unable to digest everything she'd just been told. Unable to formulate a coherent thought, let alone a coherent plan of attack. "The First will destroy you all, I will see to it." he bellowed, then swept out of the shop and into the raging storm outside before Buffy could gather her strength to launch another attack. She stood panting heavily as she fought against her overwhelming urge to scream. She couldn't see straight, her body shook, and her mouth was dry. She swallowed hard, trying to suppress the feeling she was going to be sick.

"B-Buffy?" she heard Willow weep. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her oldest friend still standing next to the table, wringing her hands nervously.

Without replying, Buffy charged out of the shop, not even casting a glance behind her.

"Buffy!" Lily shouted, as Giles sunk to his knees, his head in his hands, in the middle of the shop floor. Olly moved towards the door, but was stopped by Spike's voice.

"No. I'll go." he ordered.

"What? No! We should all - " Lily began to argue.

"Do you understand how it feels to be told you're responsible for someone's death?" Spike spat.

Lily and Olly's faces fell, and they shook their heads softly.

"Didn't think so. I'll go make sure she's alright." Spike shot out of the store, just in time to see Buffy round the corner towards the back alleys. He chased after her, using all his strength to close the gap between them, "Buffy!" he shouted, "Buffy, wait!"

After a few minutes she stopped abruptly, and waited for Spike to catch up.

"Buffy, come on, I-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Buffy had spun around, and threw a powerful punch to Spike's face.

"What the Hell, Pet? You-"

He was cut off by her fist connecting with his face again.

"STOP!" he shouted.

"Coward!" Buffy hollered, "Fight me! Come on!" She swung at him again, he managed to duck.

"What are you doing?" Spike pleaded.

"You're a vampire... I'm a Slayer, we're supposed to be enemies, right? That's the way things are _supposed _to be? FIGHT ME!" She screamed, attacking him with a barrage of punches and kicks.

Spike tried his best to block her attack without fighting back, but she was angry, and her blows had more force behind them as usual. Realizing it didn't look like she was about to run out of steam anytime soon, he slammed his fist into the side of her head, leaving a huge gash from his ring alongside her temple, before throwing her roughly into the brick wall. He pinned her there with his forearm, and she yelped as he grabbed her face with his free hand, forcing her to look up at him. Despite the heavy rain, he could see her deep green eyes were filled with tears, and moreover, they were filled with a sense of despair he had never seen on her face before.

"Kill me..." she whispered. The words almost lost in the noise of the falling rain.

"What?"

"Kill me... please... please, just do it." she begged.

"Dear God..." he muttered, "Is that what this was about?"

"Please! Maybe then this will all end! There won't be anyone to take the power from the other Slayers... they can keep it, they can stay alive!" she rambled hopelessly.

"You don't know that..." he whispered.

"But it's worth a try... please..." she pleaded.

"No." Spike said simply.

The desperate rage returned to her features, "Isn't it what you always wanted? Isn't it what you always dreamed of? Destroying me? Adding another Slayer to your list of conquests?" she hissed.

"Not for years, Love." he replied sadly, pushing the wet strands of hair off her face.

Looking up at his sincere expression, her rage crumbled, and she let out a sob as she sunk down the wall to her knees, "Please, Spike... please? I-I can't do this anymore..."

"Yes, you can. You have to. Don't let them win." He encouraged her.

"They already have... those poor girls..." she murmured, "I did this to them, it's my fault! I should never have gotten others involved! Who would want their life like this? Why would I condemn them to walk in the dark with me?" she wept.

"They all helped you willingly, none of them ran, none of them fought you, they all understood. You were all in this together."

"And now we'll all die together. Do it Spike!"

"No!"

She sobbed again, "Xander... Xander... it was all my fault! He shouldn't have died!"

"Xander could have walked away from this at any time! All of us can, he stayed because he loved you." Spike assured her, gripping her shoulders tightly.

"And I repay you all how? By putting you in harms way?"

Spike sighed in frustration, "You have to fight this, Buffy, you've fought too long and too hard for them to take you down now. You have too much to live for."

"Like what?" she spat with a sniffle.

"Like all those people back in that bookstore, like Maddy's Father..." he grimaced before continuing, he didn't want to play this card; he'd hoped to avoid any mention of _him _but he didn't seem to be getting through to her, "Like Angel." he sighed reluctantly, "What do you think it'd do to him if he came back and found you dead? What do you think he'd do to me?" he added with a hint of a smile.

Buffy's lower lip quivered, and she choked back yet another sob, "He's not coming back Spike... he's never coming back! It's been almost four months!"

"Of course he's bloody coming back!" Spike shouted. He sighed as Buffy stifled another sob, and lowered his tone, "He'll always come back for you... always... He couldn't stay away if he wanted to."

Squeezing her eyes shut, Buffy leaned heavily into Spike's chest, and finally released the gut-wrenching wail she'd been fighting so hard to hold back. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, and rocked the distraught Slayer as the rain ominously pelted the pavement around them.

_"Back in the day, I can recall that  
__My thoughts were unclouded and sage  
__There was no black staining the walls  
__Of my memories  
__Now there's a haze pushing me sideways  
__And leaving me nothing to gain  
__Taking me back  
__Locking me cold in disparity"  
_- "Unleashed" by Epica

~o~

**I know many of you will probably say that Buffy's reaction was out of character, however I feel guilt is a pretty powerful emotion (as exhibit A, let's take a look at Angel shall we?). Also, we've seen time and time again throughout the series that Buffy is willing to lay down her life in order to keep those she loves safe, and I feel that given the circumstances of this story, she'd be devastated to find out that this new life she's been given is not only at the expense of an innocent girl, but at the expense of her fellow Slayers and everything she's built in the last 13 years.**

**For a lot of the events that will occur in the upcoming chapters I think it's important to remember that Buffy has essentially stolen Madeline Cross' life, and it may have been easier for her to ignore that fact when she didn't know _why_. I know Maddy being a slayer was a little hokey, but I felt I needed a reason why she in particular was chosen, and although I wracked my brain this was the best I could come up with... I blame sleep deprivation.**

**Finally (lots of author ramblings in this chapter, I'm so sorry), this is my favourite Buffy/Spike moment in the story. I like when they're nice to each other but not getting horizontal. **


	45. Chapter 45: The Strength to Go On

**It's chapter update time!**  
**So I've spent the whole morning so far finally transferring all my music files onto my new computer... a daunting task that I've been putting off for almost four months. I'm not even halfway there, *sigh* the 11 Tom Waits albums alone made me want to give up! Anyway, the point of this rant is that as a result I'm not entirely happy with the song quotes for these two chapters. I think the musical overload in my brain made it short-circuit and I couldn't even think of anything good. Nevertheless, enjoy! Now let's see what Angel and Faith are up to! **

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

* * *

"_But those days are gone now  
__Changed like a leaf on a tree  
__Blown away forever  
__Into the cool autumn breeze  
__The snow has now fallen  
__And my sun's not so bright  
__I struggle to hold on  
__With the last of my might"  
_- "A Change of Seasons" by Dream Theater

Chapter 45: The Strength to Go On

After being unable to reach Giles at the bookstore or at home, nor being able to get in touch with Willow, Angel dressed hurriedly and rushed to Ashcroft's office, hoping to catch him before he retired for the evening. There was no way Angel could possibly spend the whole night wondering if his dream held meaning or not, and there was no way he was resting until he was sure that Buffy and her friends were safe. Upon reaching the door to Carter's office, he sighed a sigh of relief discovering it was still unlocked, and pushed it open. Once inside, Angel discovered Ashcroft, leaning against the front of his desk, his head bowed, with one of his hands massaging his temple. Faith sat next to Claymore on the small loveseat, his hand in hers, her expression deeply concerned. Claymore, in contrast to the others, had his eyes wide in shock as he stared into space.

Ashcroft looked up as Angel closed the door behind him, "Angel... thank goodness you're awake." he sighed.

"What's going on?" he asked hesitantly, studying everyone's faces for clues.

"Lavinia's Slayer was found dead..." Faith explained quietly, "And now she's missing..."

Angel's heart sank, "Nathaniel... I'm so sorry." he muttered. Claymore did no more than blink to indicate that he'd even heard Angel speak. He looked up to Ashcroft, "Was she the only one?"

He shook his head, "No, there were four others attacked as well... two of their Watchers were killed, the other two hospitalized." Carter sighed, rounding the corner of his desk and sinking back into his chair, holding his head heavily in his hands.

Claymore finally shook his head, almost imperceptibly, "She knew I didn't want her there... I begged her to come home when the attacks began, but... she wouldn't leave Naiobi alone..." he whispered, close to tears.

Faith rested a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Lavinia's a strong woman, Nate, I'm sure she's fine. She's probably just laying low, waiting until she knows it's safe to come out of hiding."

"Yes, Faith is quite right, Nathaniel." Ashcroft agreed, "We must remain positive."

Angel paced in front of the sofa nervously, it seemed like the world they had so carefully built was crumbling around them, "Not to dismiss what's happening, but I think we may have another problem to deal with..." he said finally.

"What do you mean?" Ashcroft asked, but was interrupted by the phone ringing. He moved to answer it, "This is Ashcroft... Miss Rosenberg, this is a surprise." he greeted. Angel stopped pacing, and watched Carter expectantly, "Ah, yes, I will be sure to pass on the message, thank you..." he continued solemnly, casting a brief glance to the distraught Claymore, "Angel? Why yes, he's right here, one moment."

He held the receiver up to Angel, who grabbed it eagerly, "Willow? I've been trying to reach you or Giles, I think The First- You know...? Who...? Willow, slow down..." Angel fell silent as he listened intently to Willow's story. If at all possible, his face became paler, and he reached his hand out to lean on Ashcroft's desk for support. "Is she okay...? I'll let them know... yes... I'll call you back... Thank you Willow, be careful." Angel hung up the phone, his expression now eerily similar to the one Nathaniel wore.

"Angel? What did Willow say?" Faith asked hesitantly.

"They know what's happening to the Slayers..." he muttered.

"They do?" Ashcroft asked.

Angel shuddered slightly, how could they stop this? Hundreds of young, innocent girls - perhaps thousands including those they had yet to track down - would die. He finally looked back up at the others, and prepared himself to deliver the news that would shatter their worlds.

~o~

Mere minutes after Angel had finished re-telling what Willow had told him, Ashcroft was on the phone instructing his communications network to inform all Slayers to cease fighting immediately and go into hiding. Claymore had barely moved, but his appearance was decidedly more rumpled, and his expression more shell-shocked than it was minutes earlier. Faith's eyes were wide, and she sat uncharacteristically still and silent as she digested the news. Angel paced nervously, wishing desperately that he was at Buffy's side. The fact that she had just begged Spike to end her life had him deeply worried. He was milliseconds away from calling her and pleading with her to just hold on a little longer, until he could get there and be a shoulder for her to lean on.

He was shaken from his thoughts by the door to Ashcroft's office being pushed open, and an impish girl with wild red hair was dragged inside by a put-together woman in her mid-thirties.

"Gretchen, thank goodness." Ashcroft sighed in relief.

"What's going on Carter?" she demanded hotly, yanking her arm out of the woman's grip.

"There's a crisis..." he chose his words carefully, sure that it wouldn't be beneficial to tell the young woman that she will lose her abilities, and that there is most likely a demonic assassin tracking her down as they spoke, "until things are settled, you will no longer patrol." he said calmly.

"I'm sorry, what?" Gretchen gasped, placing her hands defiantly on her hips, "That's a load of bull, you can't demand something like that!"

"I can, in fact. I'm in charge here, remember?" Ashcroft sighed. Gretchen had been tracked down and trained by Buffy and Faith before the Council had been reformed, that, coupled with the fact that she was well into her twenties and not about to be lead around by the hand like a child, had proven her to be a bit of a loose canon.

"Actually, the way Buffy explained how this whole Watcher thing was going to work, you lot are more like my backup, right? So wouldn't that mean you work for me?" she replied cheekily.

"This isn't the time for an argument, Gretchen, please just cooperate this once, please?" Ashcroft beseeched.

Gretchen looked around the room, taking note of the solemn faces, before pausing to narrow her eyes at Angel, "What's going on? And why is there a vampire here?" she asked quietly.

"I'm on your side, don't worry." Angel replied simply, revealing his identity would only open up another can of worms, one that was not a priority at the moment.

"Just do what Carter's asking, please Gretchen." Faith pleaded, looking up at the younger woman earnestly.

Hearing the normally rebellious Faith agree with the stuffy Watcher's made Gretchen frown, "This is serious then...?" she whispered.

"Very." Nathaniel finally spoke, he licked his lips, as if he'd forgotten how to form words before continuing, "Your life could be in serious danger. We're just trying to protect you."

The younger Slayer's face drained of colour, causing the dusting of freckles that covered her nose and cheeks to appear darker. "Does this... does this have something to do with the other Slayer's that have died?" she murmured slowly, looking from Claymore to Ashcroft for confirmation.

"How do you know about that?" Ashcroft asked.

"I told her." the female Watcher that had led her in piped up.

"Claudia..." Ashcroft sighed, "I told you it was in their best interests to not know what was happening until we had more information."

"And I decided it was in her best interests to know what was happening to her peers!" Claudia rebutted, "How can she protect herself and be alert if she doesn't know she may be in danger?"

"She has a point, Carter," Angel agreed, "They all need to know. If this is inevitable... irreversible... they need to be aware."

"If what's irreversible?" Gretchen asked, concern colouring her voice.

Faith sighed heavily, and with an expression like someone who was going to their execution, she rose from the sofa, and made her way to stand in front of Gretchen, "Someone's unleashed something... something bad... it's gonna take away your strength... all of our strength... none of us will be able to fight anymore." though she was rarely shaken, Faith found it hard to get through her explanation without the feeling of tears burning behind her eyes.

Gretchen stared blankly at Faith, unbelieving of the words she was hearing, "Is... is that why so many have died?" she whispered.

Faith nodded sadly, before turning and sinking back down on the couch, "So you need to hide, before they get to you too." she urged.

With tears welling in her eyes, Gretchen looked to each person in the room while shaking her head in disbelief, "But what will I do now?" she croaked, "How can I go on? Knowing what's out there, and not being able to protect anyone from it?"

~o~

Faith drove her stake into the vampire she was attacking with just a little too much force. After Gretchen had been ushered out of Ashcroft's office, her own frustration hit her full force, and not feeling any different, decided she needed a good patrol. Angel had protested, but knowing there wasn't any dissuading Faith once she'd made up her mind, decided instead to accompany the overwhelmed Slayer, and keep her safe. He realized his presence was unnecessary once he witnessed how hard she was wailing on each and every unsuspecting creature of the night she came across, but was happy for the outlet for his own emotional turmoil. Thinking of all the innocent girls, most not much older than Buffy had been when he first met her, being taken down one by one, at a loss for why they couldn't fight back, left him with a hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach. Knowing on top of it all, that Buffy was blaming herself, sent him reeling.

"So, I've decided I'm gonna take a little trip to Braebrook." Faith shouted over the sound of her next opponent slamming noisily into the park gate before she staked it roughly.

"What?" Angel asked, as he threw a punch at the last vampire, before grabbing it and shoving it towards Faith, who dusted it without looking.

"First thing in the morning I'm asking Carter to book me on the first available flight over there."

"Faith..."

"I know, I know, you're gonna tell me it's careless, and I could lose all my abilities before I even get there and end up dead, blah, blah, blah... but if the First is over there, Buffy's gonna need some help."

"I know she does. Which is why I'm going to go back." Angel replied.

Faith chortled, "I don't think so Mister. You're going to Romania." she turned, and began to walk back towards the Council building. Angel hurried to catch up with her.

"I really don't think it's all that important that I find out about this whole Soul thing in relation to everything else that's going on." he argued.

"Are you serious? Buffy will kill you if you show up after disappearing for four months with no answer." Faith said, exasperated.

"Given the circumstances, I'm sure she'll understand." Angel grumbled. Thinking that he'd have to trek all the way to Eastern Europe, and spend even more time away from Buffy absolutely tore him apart inside.

"Given the circumstances, Angel, she _needs_ you to do this." Faith argued.

"There are bigger things that need to be dealt with, Faith."

Faith stopped in her tracks, and stepped in front of Angel, blocking his path and forcing him to look at her, "Maybe so, but the last thing you or Buffy needs right now is another uncertainty. Give her something to fight for Angel."

Angel stared sadly at Faith, but didn't reply. He knew she had a point, if he went back to Braebrook now, it would only cause emotional turmoil for Buffy. As much as he wanted to know she was safe, as much as he wanted to be there for her in this; he wanted to be there completely, without boundaries.

Faith smiled sympathetically, and gave him a friendly punch on the arm, "Don't worry buddy, I'll keep her warm for you." she said with a wink. Angel grinned slightly, and Faith shoved him lightly in the direction of the Council. They walked the rest of the way in silence as Angel contemplated the next leg of his journey, he prayed to whatever entity may be listening that all this time spent away from Buffy would be worth it, and he would get the answers he was hoping for.

~o~

"Absolutely not." Carter scoffed. He was sitting slumped over his desk, looking rather exhausted, and wearing the same clothes as the day before. One could assume that he hadn't even left the office since the previous evening, and had most likely been attempting to control the crisis at hand. Claymore was present as well, visibly more lucid than the previous evening, however the dark circles underneath his eyes, and his gaunt complexion clearly indicated that he was probably as well rested as Ashcroft was.

"Ashy, sweetheart, don't be a wet blanket." Faith coaxed.

"No. There is absolutely no way that I'm going to let you go waltzing off to a newly active Hellmouth, where the Ultimate Evil has set up camp, and you'll dive head-first into a full-fledged war without knowing how much longer you will even be able to defend yourself!" Ashcroft scolded.

"All the more reason why I should leave now!" Faith argued, "The clock is ticking Carter, Buffy needs help, and there's nowhere else for her to get it!"

Ashcroft sighed, and massaged his temples, "We're working to help provide Buffy and Mr. Giles with an alternate source of backup, there will be no need for you to put yourself in danger."

Faith raised an eyebrow incredulously, "Really? Well what have you come up with then?"

"Erm..." Ashcroft mumbled, but gave no response.

"I'm going then." Faith stated indignantly, "You can't keep me cooped up here, so don't even try."

He turned to Angel with a pleading expression, "Angel, please talk some sense into her."

With a grim smile, Angel shook his head, "There's no point Carter, you should know that by now."

"Faith, please, you'll get yourself killed... You're far too valuable-"

"I'm a Slayer damnit! I'm supposed to get myself killed! That's what half of this gig is about isn't it?" She shouted.

"There's been enough tragedy these past few weeks Faith, please don't ask this of us." Claymore interjected softly.

Faith frowned, "Nate, I know this is hard on you, but I need to do this." she continued in a more gentle manner, but nevertheless just as urgently, "I need to do this for all the Slayers that have fallen out there... for all the Watchers..."

Claymore winced, but remained silent so Faith could continue.

"And if I'm just gonna revert back to some plain old underachiever with a bad attitude and a criminal record... well... maybe I am better off dead!" she chuckled morbidly. Angel could see the turmoil she was fighting so hard to suppress bubbling just behind her tough facade. "Come on guys... don't let me go out without a fight." she almost begged.

Looking a little more sympathetic, Ashcroft opened his mouth to reply, but his attention was taken away by the door being pushed slowly open. Upon seeing the person who entered, his eyes grew wide.

Standing in the doorway meekly, was a forty-year-old woman who on most other occasions must look statuesque. Currently however, with her jet-black hair hanging limply around her sallow face, her left arm strapped into a sling, her shoulders hunched, and a large bruise almost completely covering her right cheek and extending up into her hairline, she looked downright haunting.

"Nathaniel..." she whimpered.

Claymore nearly toppled over Ashcroft's desk, and his eyes filled with tears as he gazed in disbelief at the woman in the doorway, "L-Lavinia?" he stammered, groping his way towards her. He lightly brushed his hand across her face, just underneath her bruise, as he took in her injuries, before pulling her into a tight embrace. Once safely in her husbands arms, Lavinia finally broke down, and sobbed quietly into his shoulder.

"She's dead Nathaniel... she's dead... it was terrible... I couldn't... I couldn't help her..." she wept.

"We know, shhh, it's alright..." Nathaniel consoled her, stroking her hair gently.

"I... I don't know why they didn't come after me..." she murmured, "I ran. I ran to the coast and started swimming... I must have passed out from exhaustion, then woke up in hospital hours later. I took the earliest flight I could find to get back here."

Ashcroft rose suddenly from his seat, and motioned for Faith and Angel to follow him. "I'm relieved to see you're alright, Lavinia. When you feel ready, it would be very helpful if we could sit down at speak about what happened... perhaps we can prevent more attacks."

She nodded her head weakly from where it rested on Nathaniel's shoulder, as Ashcroft led Faith and Angel past the reunited couple and out the door, giving them some privacy.

"I'll book you on the next available flight, Faith." he whispered as they entered the hallway. Faith smiled, and squeezed his shoulder appreciatively, before bounding down the hallway, presumably to pack. Angel cast one last look at the entwined couple before closing the door behind him, and found his body aching to hold Buffy that close. He knew Faith would be more than enough help for her, but he couldn't help the urge he felt to return to Braebrook and make sure everyone was safe. He wouldn't though, not until he'd done what he'd promised he would do.

~o~

**I hope no one is fed up with all these Slayers I'm inventing. I've never been a fan of senseless violence in entertainment, and I feel that if I'm gonna kill a character off, and if I want their deaths to have any sort of impact at all, then I need to at least give a few of them identities.**

**I like Nathaniel too much to kill off Lavinia. Is that weird to say about a fictional character?**

**Angel's finally got his ass in gear! I know under the circumstances it's pretty unlikely that he wouldn't just run straight back to Buffy, but that's why I've shipped Faith back to the U.S. That way he knows Buffy's got some back-up, and he can focus on what he needs to do. Because we all want Buffy and Angel to get some good news finally, right? Right. Good.**

**Onto the next chapter! **


	46. Chapter 46: Renewed Faith

**I'm sure most of you can guess what this chapter's about just from the title. ;)**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

* * *

"_We are linked in every way  
__And we're strong as our weakest fragment  
Every word that we convey  
Is an act with consequences"  
_- "Kingdom of Heaven – A New Age Dawns Pt. V" by Epica

Chapter 46: Renewed Faith

The days following Travers' revelation to the gang had been trying. The mood in the bookstore was grim, and judging by the heavy dark circles under everyone's eyes, sleep was something none of them were getting. News that Lavinia had miraculously made her way back to England almost completely unscathed had been a small break in the clouds that hung heavily overhead, however, the reports of fallen Slayers had not ceased pouring in. Most had been girls who were too stubborn to lay down their stakes, and insisted they go down fighting, however the most recent incidents had been girls who had gone into hiding. This fact had not eased Buffy's mind in the slightest. She was afraid that Byron Travers had been telling the truth; there was nothing they could do to stop the young Slayers from dying, they were being found anyway. With a frustrated sigh, she turned her attention to the large tome cracked open in front of her. Lavinia had described to Claymore and Ashcroft the demons that had followed Naiobi back to her home in as much detail as possible, and upon being relayed the information, Buffy was convinced it was the same type of demon that had attacked her and Xander in South America. Not knowing what else they could do, everyone had dove head-first into research mode, intent on discovering anything and everything possible about these demon assassins, there had to be something written somewhere about them, something that could help even the growing number of now-powerless slayers to destroy them.

Giles exited his office, the dour expression on his face had become familiar to everyone in the room, so no one paid much attention as he descended the steps towards them. "We've just had our first attack in North America." he muttered grimly.

Buffy didn't bother looking up, or even asking who, as she ran a hand through her hair before resting her head in her hand.

Spike studied her face intently, he had been keeping a close eye on the despondent Slayer since their altercation in the alley. He knew she couldn't sink too deeply into blaming herself for the situation, otherwise it would spell the end for them all, "Where?" he asked quietly.

"Montreal," Giles answered, "It was Anne-Sophie... her Watcher managed to escape, and corroborates with Lavinia's description of the assassins. We're definitely looking for the type of demon that attacked Buffy in Ecuador."

Nodding sombrely, everyone buried themselves back into their books, except for Willow, who frowning thoughtfully, pulled out her laptop and began furiously clicking away. "Um, this may be nothing... " she began, "But I think I found a pattern in the attacks."

"Really?" Giles asked, moving to peer over Willow's shoulder at the computer screen.

The others lifted their heads from their reading to listen.

Willow nodded, "I had to make a few assumptions, so it may not be accurate, but here goes: Some of the attacks occur too close in time, yet too far in proximity for it to make sense that it was done by the same demon. Working under that assumption, I've been able, I think, to track which attacks were committed by which demons... and it looks like they're all heading in the same direction, like they're moving towards something in particular."

"Which is what?" Spike asked.

Willow gulped, and looked apprehensively at Buffy before replying, "I think it might be here." she whispered.

Buffy didn't even react to the revelation, she continued to stare with her eyes unfocused on the page in front of her, her head still supported in her hand.

"Are you certain? All of them?" Giles asked, squinting at the screen.

"Pretty certain... yes." Willow said.

"How many are we talking about?" Spike asked.

"Fifteen for now."

"It makes sense..." Buffy muttered finally. The others looked to her, worry written clearly on their features. "They take out all the other Slayers, and then they join up to take me down."

Frowning, Giles looked back at Willow's computer, "Keep, keep working on this Willow, we'll monitor their movements, stay ahead of the game."

"Don't worry Buffy, we'll stop them." Olly encouraged.

"Yeah!" Lily agreed, attempting her most genuine smile, "There has to be something in one of these..." she trailed off as she fanned through the pages of the old, dusty tome in front of her, and it landed open on a very old etching of a very large and very strong looking demon. "Oh... Oh! I think I found it!" she cheered pointing at the page, her eyes sparkling impishly for the first time in days.

Giles hurried over, and took the book from her, scanning the description on the opposite page, before studying the etching carefully, "It is remarkably similar to Lavinia's description... Buffy, does this look familiar?" he asked her, holding the page open for her to see.

Upon glancing at the demon depicted, she felt her stomach churn, as she remembered her battle in the fiery temple, "Yep. That's the one." she murmured.

Giles took the volume back, and began to read the description in more detail. "They refer to it as Cruoris, which simply means 'slaughterer' in Latin... there has only been one sighting of their kind since the Roman Empire... it was in 1406, when one was sent after the Slayer that was active during that time."

"Did it kill her?" Willow asked.

"Yes..." Giles replied quietly, looking out the corner of his eye at Buffy, who didn't seem to exhibit any reaction, he continued to read, "Um... they are said to be brutal fighters, and once summoned will stop at nothing to kill their target."

"Nothing you're reading sounds like a good thing for us, Giles." Olly interjected.

"Well, I haven't finished yet..." Giles grumbled, "... In the earliest accounts, the people believed them to be descendents of the Titans... their skin is like an armour... " he muttered, skimming the page, "It says here, that they will only kill the person it has been sent after, just as Travers said, they live by a code."

"Like an ugly and evil Samurai!" Olly said.

"Oliver, please." Giles sighed, as the door to the shop was pushed open.

"Still boring everyone with your big heavy books, huh Giles? Some things never change." Faith smirked as she stepped into the shop, her hands in the pockets of her jeans.

"Faith?" Willow gawked.

A smirk spread across her lips, "Surprise." her eyes swept the room, taking in the sight of her old friends, and the new faces she didn't recognize, "So which one of you is Buffy?"

Buffy turned in her chair, her eyes wide in shock of the appearance of her sister Slayer, but she said nothing.

Faith squinted at her, before crossing towards the table with a mischievous grin, "God damn..." she exclaimed before pulling Buffy out of her chair, "Well let me get a better look at you! Jesus, B!" she chuckled, "No wonder Angel's been mooning over you – he's looking pretty damn fine himself, I might add..."

Buffy immediately perked up upon the mention of Angel's name, "Angel?" she asked hesitantly, "You saw Angel?"

"Yeah, he's been hanging around the Council Headquarters, doing some slaying for them, or whatever."

A small smile crept over Buffy's lips, the first in the past few days, "So he's alright?"

"Better than alright. The PTB really outdid themselves with you two!" she mused, looking Buffy up and down one more time.

Buffy barely heard what Faith had said, she was standing in a daze, the corners of her mouth still turned upwards slightly. She suddenly felt renewed, for the first time in days she felt like she had the strength to fight.

"So then why're you here, and Mr. Hot-Stuff isn't?" Spike asked, kicking his feet up on the table.

Faith turned to look at the moody vampire, "Cause I convinced him to go on to Romania, instead of hopping on the first flight back here." she cocked her head to the side, and narrowed her eyes towards him, "When did you get all dead again?"

Pouting, Spike crossed his arms over his chest, "None of your bleedin' business."

With an amused grin, Faith turned on her heel and crossed the room to peer over the edge of the large book held between Giles' hands, "So is this the demon that's responsible for taking down all those Slayers?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid so." he replied, turning the book slightly so Faith could get a better look.

"Nasty looking sucker... So how do we kill it?" she asked, looking around to the others with an expression comparable to that of a child waiting to open their Christmas gifts.

"We're still working on that part..." Lily replied timidly.

Faith turned to look at Lily, who sat beside Olly at the cash counter, "So who are you two anyway? The new and improved Willow and Xander?" she asked before studying Lily intently, "You're not a lesbian, are you?"

"What?"

"Play nice, Faith!" Buffy scolded, "This is Lily and Olly, they're friends from school... Guys, this is Faith, she's another Slayer... don't worry, she's not so scary once you get to know her." she chastised.

Faith turned and waved cheekily at the young couple. "So back to this big-shot demon, can't we just blow it up or something? I mean, you're pretty good with explosives, aren't you B?" she asked with wink.

"Say what?" Olly asked.

"She didn't tell you how she blew up her high school? Come on Buffy, you gotta share the good stories!"

"I've tried to limit my contact with explosive material over the past few years, Faith." Buffy grumbled.

"How come you couldn't blow up _our_ high school? I always miss the good stuff..." Olly sighed.

"Yes, how unfortunate for you." Giles replied sarcastically.

"Alright, fine! Clearly you guys aren't up to playing things my way." Faith sighed as she threw herself into the chair next to Buffy, "So, where should I start?" she asked, poking at a large scroll perched at the edge of the table.

"Here," Willow said, passing a book across the table to her, "I don't think anyone's looked at this one yet."

"Thanks, Will." she replied, flipping the book open and beginning to read.

Buffy glanced at her sister Slayer as she begrudgingly began to scan the book she'd been handed. She chewed her lip in concentration, her large combat boots tapping the floor beneath her. Buffy smiled, feeling a small sense of relief for the first time in weeks. "I'm really happy you're here Faith." she whispered.

Faith turned to her, finally letting the concern she'd been expertly concealing slip through as she smiled sadly, "Me too, B."

~o~

The two Slayers walked casually through the graveyard, their arms linked. Faith had persuaded Spike to take the evening off so that her and Buffy could have some bonding time, but so far there had been little conversation. Neither really knew where to start, or how to address the situation, so they simply carried on in silence, hoping to come across a vampire eventually.

"So... what have you been doing for the last year?" Buffy finally asked.

"Oh, you know, the usual." Faith answered, "Recklessly travelling the globe, killing things that need to be killed."

Grinning, Buffy nodded, but remained silent.

Faith chewed her lip, and watched her feet as they moved silently a top the grass, "I didn't want to fight anymore, you know." she admitted quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"When everyone thought you were dead... it just seemed like such a daunting task; filling Buffy's boots as the top-Slayer... it wasn't just a matter of kicking demon ass anymore, you know? There was a whole council depending on me... a whole network of Slayers... I ran. Did my own thing."

"It doesn't matter Faith, really-"

"It does. I let you down, I let everyone down 'cause I was bummed out."

"If anyone let anyone else down, it's me." Buffy answered darkly. Faith didn't reply, unsure of what Buffy meant, "I tried too hard... I tried to create something impossible... and now people are dying everywhere because of it." she whispered.

"Don't even talk like that B! None of this is your fault, it's that little bitch Travers we have to blame!"

"I'm still the one who called all the others, gave him a reason to do what he's doing."

"You tried to do something that would make the world safe! What you did was amazing! A little crazy, yeah, sure, but amazing! It's not your fault that there are whack-jobs out there who don't think so." Faith assured her.

"Are you still gonna think that way when your strength disappears?" Buffy asked doubtfully.

"Hell yes!" Faith answered enthusiastically, "Why do you think I'm here, B? I wanna be part of this, even if it's the last rumble I ever see."

"I don't want it to be the last rumble you ever see." Buffy answered quietly.

The girls fell silent again. They glanced at each other, to find worry written on the others face. Faith gave Buffy's arm a small, reassuring squeeze. All talk and attitude aside, she knew how serious this situation was. She'd looked death in the face multiple times already in her thirty-five years, but for some reason this time it seemed more dire – more final. She feared this time she may not be able to make a slick escape; but she wouldn't worry Buffy further with those thoughts, "I guess you better watch my back then." she answered assuredly, a crooked grin on her lips.

Before Buffy even had a chance to return the smile, Faith's words were punctuated by a deep growl. The girls turned back to look in the direction they were walking, and out of the shadows of the path stepped a towering form. The two slayers immediately jumped into fighting stance, ready to charge as the large figure approached them with heavy footsteps. As it moved into the faint moonlight, they could see their assailant was built like a wall, its chest broad and arms extremely muscular. Its skin was a dark, charcoal-like colour, which caused its fiery red eyes to almost glow in contrast. The beast seemed to have no neck, its large dome-like head melded straight into its shoulders, that were covered in a series of tiny spikes . Buffy found herself trembling slightly at the sight of it, in her mind she was back in the burning temple, fighting for her life as she was choked by the surrounding flames.

"It looks like your friend found us B..." Faith whispered, bouncing back and forth on the balls of her feet. She found herself wishing she'd thought to bring more than just a stake with her that evening.

The Cruoris looked at Buffy and snarled, before turning it's attention to Faith. Narrowing its eyes, and bearing its teeth, it growled at her before lunging into an attack. Faith sidestepped it, but the massive claws on one of its hands managed to catch her arm as she rolled to the ground. "Shit," she hissed, quickly glancing at the wound before jumping back up to her feet.

Buffy, in the meantime, charged towards the demon, slamming her fists into the middle of its back. The demon stumbled, but only slightly, before turning to swipe Buffy aside with an irritated snort, as though she was nothing more than an obnoxious fly buzzing around its head. Picking herself up off the ground, Buffy watched in horror as the Cruoris stalked once more towards Faith. She circled the demon apprehensively, her cut arm hanging limply at her side, her other fist raised protectively in front of her face, "Come on buddy, give me your best shot!" she teased.

The demon bared its teeth at her, then swung its massive arm. She blocked it expertly, but the force sent her stumbling backwards slightly. Giving her barely enough time to recover from the attack, the demon swung its other arm, pushing her back further. The force of this blow knocked her off her feet, and sent her slamming into a nearby tombstone head-first. As Faith collapsed to the ground, disoriented, the Cruoris closed in on her, and Buffy took the opportunity to rush the demon again. Leaping into the air, she kicked it in the head and it stumbled back a few steps. As it regained its balance, Buffy moved to stand protectively between the demon and Faith. Seeing Buffy in front of it, the beast roared again, but made no move to attack her. She raised an eyebrow suspiciously, before launching into another attack. After only a couple of punches, the demon had done no more than try to push her away, and try to step around her to get at Faith, but Buffy blocked its every attempt. Faith finally rose to her feet again, a small gash on her forehead beginning to bleed, but wincing through the pain she kicked her leg out swiftly, making contact with the monster's chest. It stumbled slightly, but swung at her again, however this time she was prepared for the impact, and was pushed back only slightly.

"Faith, stop!" Buffy shouted, stepping once more between the Cruoris and the other slayer.

"What?" She panted, "I'm just getting warmed up!"

"Just trust me." Buffy muttered, throwing another punch at the demon. With each of Buffy's attacks, the Cruoris simply took another step backwards, or attempted to swat Buffy away. Finally, with a frustrated growl, it turned, and retreated back into the shadows of the cemetery.

Confident that the demon would not be returning, Buffy turned back to Faith, who stood a few paces behind her, holding her slashed bicep, a puzzled look on her face.

"It didn't attack you..." she muttered.

"I know." Buffy replied. Putting a comforting arm around Faith's shoulder, as she scanned their surroundings for other assailants. There were no signs of another demon, however peering around the trunk of a nearby tree, Buffy spotted a teenage girl. She was bruised, and bloody, with tears staining her face; it was Skyla, the dead Slayer from Scotland. Her face twisted into a malicious grin, and Buffy knew it was The First, taunting her again. Turning away from the sight swiftly, Buffy swung Faith towards the entrance gate, "We need to get back to Giles."

~o~

**I was having trouble naming my demon, so I turned to my good friend online translator. You can always count on a dead language to come in handy when it comes to the paranormal!**

**Am I the only one that has to suppress the urge to have Faith swear like a sailor when writing her? I have to try really hard to tone down her language because they never really swore a lot on BtVS (good old network television...), and it makes me feel like I'm writing out of character.**

**Finally, I'll give a little heads up to you all; the next few chapters are going to be getting a bit darker. But don't worry, it won't be permanent!**


	47. Chapter 47: Calling the Army of Darkness

**As of my last update this story reached 10,000 hits! I haven't been around here long enough to know if that's actually a big deal or not, but it is for me! So thank you to all of you who've been reading, and enjoying, and reviewing (hint, wink); after taking so much time away from writing it's really encouraging! **

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

* * *

"_Had a dream  
You and me and the war of the end times  
And I believe  
California succumbed to the fault line  
We heaved relief  
As scores of innocents died"  
_- "Calamity Song" by The Decemberists

Chapter 47: Calling the Army of Darkness

Since Willow had discovered Angel was keeping tabs on Buffy via Giles, they had begun a nightly ritual of meeting for tea in Giles' apartment. At first, Willow had just been curious to know what Angel had been up to, mostly so if it seemed that Buffy wasn't coping, she could offer up some information. However since the attack on the other Slayers had begun, their talks had become quite a bit more sombre, as they begun discussing what could possibly be causing the devastating events. Tonight, however, their talk had been much more optimistic, as the identity of the mysterious assassins had been discovered, and Faith's appearance had given them renewed energy in the battle.

They had not, however, expected their quiet evening to be disrupted by Spike, whom after poking around the industrial park aimlessly in an attempt to give the Slayers some "sisterly bonding time", had decided he was bored and thought Giles would entertain him. Even more unexpected, was Buffy dragging an injured Faith through the door, and depositing her at the kitchen table as she scurried into Giles' bathroom to look for first aid supplies.

"A Cruoris, you say? Are you absolutely certain Buffy?" Giles questioned, as he moistened a small washcloth, and handed it to Faith. She took it gratefully, and began to dab around the gashes in her upper arm.

"Definitely." Buffy replied, returning from the bathroom with a roll of gauze. "I'd know it anywhere."

"What's it doing here?" Spike asked.

"It was after me." Faith hissed, pressing the cloth onto her wound.

"And it turns out Travers' was telling the truth, it wanted nothing to do with me." Buffy added, unrolling some gauze and wrapping it firmly around Faith's arm.

Giles watched the two Slayers, rubbing his brow with a large frown on his face, "You say it refused to defend itself against you Buffy?"

She nodded, "Swatted me away like a bug. Faith on the other hand..."

"It was like a dog with a bone." Faith finished as she rotated her shoulder, trying to work out the pain from her injury, as she got up and walked towards the bathroom with the washcloth still in hand. Once in front of the mirror she began to dab at the cut on her forehead with a frown.

"At least we know no one else in town will be in danger." Giles assured Buffy as she watched Faith in the bathroom with a worried expression.

"For now Giles." she replied, her voice filled with urgency, "If one is already here, it means it's only a matter of time before others show up... and once Faith and I are out of the picture who knows what Travers will do."

"Yes, I suppose you have a point, however, we shouldn't-"

"Was Faith fighting back?" Willow finally interjected, after watching most of the exchange silently from the sofa.

"What...?" Faith called, as she exited the bathroom, wiping her damp hands on the thighs of her jeans.

"When the demon attacked you, could you fight back?" Willow questioned again.

"Yeah." Faith answered with a shrug, "I mean, the sucker was strong, but I was doing okay... wasn't I B?"

Buffy nodded in response, her brow furrowed as she struggled to catch on to Willow's line of questioning.

"You didn't feel... weak at all? Overpowered?" she continued.

"No, I felt fine."

Buffy's eyes widened in realization, "Faith, you still have your strength!"

A relieved, but apprehensive grin spread across Faith's face, "But... how can we be sure?"

"I've got an idea," Spike offered, rising from Giles' armchair and crossing the room towards Faith. Once he was positioned directly in front of her, he stopped, "Hit me."

"What?" Faith sputtered in amusement.

"You heard me damnit... hit me!"

"You're out of your mind Spike." she replied, shaking her head.

"Come on, if you're not a big bad Slayer anymore, it won't really hurt, right?" he coaxed.

"Go on Faith, do you really want to pass up an opportunity to hit him?" Buffy grinned.

"You stay out of this..." Spike replied, wagging his finger at the other Slayer.

"Alright," Faith sighed, "But just remember, this was your idea."

Taking a step back to ground herself, Faith wound up and then released. Her fist went sailing through the air at breakneck speed before connecting with Spike's jaw. He stumbled backwards slightly from the force, and his hand instantly flew up to his face to clutch his cheek.

"Bloody... hell... you're alright Love..." He groaned, "Did you really have to hit me in the face though?"

Faith grinned wickedly, "So it hurt?" she asked devilishly.

"Damn right it hurt!" Spike grumbled as he sunk back down into the chair, rubbing his cheek.

"I don't get it," Buffy interrupted, turning back to Willow, "If she still has her strength, why is the Cruoris after her?"

"What I'm thinking is this;" Willow began, "Travers said that he had the incantation altered to steal back the strength of the Slayers who were called because you shared your power with them. What he didn't take into consideration was that Faith-"

"Was given her strength when Kendra died..." Giles finished.

"Exactly." Willow agreed.

"You're very right, Willow, I don't know why I didn't think of it... of course Faith would have been excluded in the incantation, she was called in the same way that Buffy was; by the death of the previous Slayer." Giles mused.

"So, you mean I'm home-free? I'm not gonna wake up a weakling in the morning or anything?" Faith asked hopefully.

"Unless Travers has another incantation up his sleeve, I don't think so." Willow assured her.

Relief washed over Faith. The whole trip over from England, the fact that she was on the brink of losing the one thing that had shaped her identity for almost twenty years had been eating her up inside. She felt a renewed sense of purpose; she wasn't here to go down fighting, she was here to make things right again. She turned back to Buffy, who was smiling at her in relief, with a twinkle in her eye, "So it looks like it's gonna be just like old times, B. Just you and me against the Army of Darkness."

Buffy smirked, if there was a warrior she wanted in her corner during a crisis: it was Faith.

~o~

Byron Travers wrenched the door to his small motel room open, and then roughly pushed it shut behind him. It seemed that Braebrook wasn't much of a tourist stop, as they were most certainly severely lacking in decent hotel accommodations. As he flicked on the overhead light, he jumped slightly upon discovering the figure of an older gentleman sitting at the small breakfast table in the corner of the room. With a sigh, he shrugged off his jacket, and pushed open the squeaky closet door to hang it up. "I really wish you'd stop visiting me in that form, you know." he muttered.

"Yes, well, I feel it's the only way to get you to pay attention to what I have to say." Quentin Travers drawled as he drummed his fingers on the top of the table.

Byron crossed the tiny room and sat down on the lumpy double bed. "What is it?" he asked.

"I've discovered a small hitch in your plan." admitted The First, leaning back in the rickety old chair, his fingers tented in front of him.

"Have you now." Byron sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He had known the dangers of calling forth true Evil. He thought he was prepared, that he would be capable of resisting the psychological torment that it so enjoyed inflicting on its victims, but he should have realized that he could not beat a master at its own game, and it would surely tune into his intense desire to please his father, and use it to its advantage. He dug his fingers into the threadbare bedspread and waited for it to continue speaking.

"I have." the figure resembling Quentin Travers answered, "Your assassin wasn't able to take out the other Slayer." it explained smugly.

"What do you mean? She killed it?" he asked incredulously. The Cruoris' had taken out Buffy Summers while she had been at full strength, how could it be possible that the much more reckless Faith Lehane had managed to overpower it?

"No, not exactly." The First mused, its tone bored, "But she was able to fight back."

"Impossible..." Byron gasped, "Almost all the Slayers should have been drained of their strength by now!"

"Yes, all the ones that Buffy called..." The First clucked.

Byron ran a hand over his face in exasperation, "Buffy didn't call Faith..."

"Precisely."

"Bloody hell..." Byron rose, crossing the room and pulling open the dresser drawer underneath the old television set. "She won't be a problem for much longer." he said, removing a large leather scroll and what looked like a vial of blood from the drawer before closing it again, "The others are on their way, soon there will be too many for the two remaining Slayers to fight on their own." He unrolled the scroll on the bed, it was covered in ancient and faded writing. As he stood over it, he uncorked the small vial and cleared his throat.

"Don't bother with your silly demons." The First yawned.

Byron paused just as he was about to pour the blood over the scroll, "Why not?"

"Because you promised me if I helped you destroy the Slayers, I would have the Hellmouth to myself, and I'm tired of waiting. Besides, I have a better plan. I am pure evil you know." it smirked, "If you just sit back and leave everything to me, by the time your precious assassins arrive, the Slayers will be begging them to end their miserable lives."

Byron eyed the being uneasily, it sent a chill up his spine to see such a malicious expression on his dead father's face. On the other hand, he had wanted so badly to rid the world of the Slayer that his father had deemed "an abomination to the Calling". He corked the small vial hesitantly, and began to roll up the ancient scroll, "Yes, Father."

~o~

**I'm sure my interpretation of The First will be out of character compared to the show. I think it fits with this story though, and seeing as it's the root of all evil, who's to say that it is unchanging? So I hope none of you will be too harsh on that subject. ;)**


	48. Chapter 48: Unwelcome Guests

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

* * *

Chapter 48: Unwelcome Guests

Buffy sluggishly shut the door to her bedroom and shuffled towards the front door. With her book bag slung over her shoulder, she slipped on her shoes, and peered out the window at the night. She was heading out to the bookstore. Given the circumstances, Giles had insisted that she meet both Faith and Spike over there before heading out on patrol. 'Safety in numbers' he'd said. She rubbed her eyes lazily, almost wishing she was able to take a night off from protecting the world. The dreams of the temple fire hadn't stopped, if anything, they'd been getting worse since Travers had appeared in Braebrook. Each night it seemed the indecipherable din of voices calling for help got louder, and louder, to the point where some nights Buffy dreaded falling asleep. She often stayed up as long as she could; reading or doing homework until she could no longer keep her eyes open. Though she almost always regretted it the next day, in the moment it seemed more appealing to her to be sleep deprived than to spend the night listening to the terrified and pained cries of her fallen Slayers.

Her head being in such a fog, she didn't hear her father exiting the kitchen behind her.

"Heading out to study?" he asked, causing Buffy to jump slightly as she spun around.

"Yeah... just waiting for Olly." she replied, "I was gonna go wait outside though."

"Alright. Have a good time then, and don't stay out too late, you look like you could use a good night's sleep." Daniel Cross advised in very fatherly manner.

Buffy smiled, it was comforting with all that was going on, to have a parent be concerned for her, "Okay Dad."

Finally, she heard the sputtering engine of Olly's car pull into the driveway, and she pulled open the door, "See you later."

"Okay Sweetie. Say hi to Olly for me."

She nodded, then flew out the door, waving at Olly, and Lily who sat in the passenger seat next to him, as she hopped in the backseat, and the car pulled away, groaning as it rolled down the street.

Daniel sighed as he watched his daughter leave. Something had changed in her since that attack had landed her in the hospital. She'd been more quiet, more secretive... more distant. He knew she was growing up, that she had her own responsibilities now, and she'd proven since her mother had passed away to be more than capable of taking care of herself. She was growing into a strong and intelligent young woman, and for that he was proud, but it still hurt him to know that his little girl wasn't so dependent on him anymore. With a forlorn smile, he turned the corner and entered his bedroom. Lost in thought, he wasn't prepared for what he found there. He froze in the doorway, feeling as though his breath had been knocked out of him. Sitting on the end of the bed, in a simple sundress, her shoulder-length honey brown hair hung in loose ringlets, they way she'd worn it on their wedding day, was the woman he'd spent the last two years mourning.

"Darling... I've missed you so much." she whispered tearfully as she rose to her feet, her delicate hands clutched over her heart.

Daniel gulped, and drew in a shaky breath before he spoke. "Meredith?"

~o~

Faith sighed as she sunk down onto the mausoleum steps next to Buffy and Spike. She tucked her stake back into the waistband of her jeans, then began to brush the vampire dust off her jacket.

"You want to do that somewhere else, Love?" Spike grumbled, fanning his hand in front of his face, "You're getting vampire bits all over me."

Faith merely made a face at him, and continued to clean herself off. "So what do you say, we wait another fifteen minutes, see if anything shows up then call it a night?"

Buffy nodded, before stifling a yawn, "Sounds good... I think we've done enough damage for tonight."

"I'd say!" Spike exclaimed, "What's our count now? Sixteen?"

"Something's definitely riling them up," Buffy agreed, "It has to be The First."

"But why? I don't get it." Faith questioned.

"Because it's evil? I don't know... maybe it's just trying to tire us out, make us easy prey... maybe it has another plan up its sleeve... we'll just have to wait and find out." Buffy mused.

"Great, you know how much I love waiting." Faith grumbled.

"You and me both, Pet." Spike agreed.

Thankfully, the next fifteen or so minutes passed rather uneventfully, and the three fighters began the long trek back to the bookstore. Buffy peered into the shadows cautiously as they weaved between the tombstones. The First hadn't appeared again since the Cruoris' attack on Faith, and it concerned her. She knew if It wasn't around tormenting them, then it was definitely laying in wait, plotting something... and Buffy dreaded finding out what that was.

Little did she know, she wouldn't have to wait long to find out. As they passed through the clearing where Buffy had fought The Guardian the summer past, Faith froze in her tracks, and all colour drained from her face.

"You coming, Ducks?" Spike asked, after he'd taken a few steps further, and realized the dark-haired Slayer was no longer by his side.

Buffy recognized the terrified expression on her face, and stepped in front of her, hoping she could block whatever was in Faith's line of sight, "What is it, Faith?"

Faith shook her head faintly, her eyes wide as she stared past Buffy, "You don't see her?" she whispered, as tears sprang to her eyes.

Spike began to turn in a circle, searching their surroundings, and Buffy shot a glance in the direction Faith was staring. They were completely alone, which only served to confirm Buffy's fears. Grabbing her sister Slayer by the shoulders, she shook her gently, "Faith, look at me. Just look at me." She urged firmly. After a moments hesitation, Faith complied, her normally hard expression was coloured with devastation. "It's The First. It's trying to mess with you." Buffy explained calmly. "You have to stay strong... just ignore it."

Faith drew a shaky breath, "It's Yuki, Buffy..." she whimpered, "She... oh God... she's..." unable to finish her sentence, she squeezed her eyes shut tightly, as though she were trying to erase the image from her mind.

Remembering the sight of Skyla a few nights prior, Buffy could only imagine what Yuki looked like in Faith's eyes. She felt her stomach drop, as grabbed Faith by the arm, and began pulling her forward slowly, "Just keep your eyes to the ground, okay Faith? It's not real. We're gonna go back to the bookstore, and everything will be alright." Buffy assured her as she led her past the clearing.

Spike stepped in front of the two, and began to lead the way protectively, scanning the cemetery for signs of any other assailants. He relaxed visibly once they exited the gates, and were once again under the orange glow of the streetlights. Falling back, he put a reassuring hand on Faith's shoulder, "You alright then?" he asked softly.

Faith finally looked up from the ground, her gaze was steely once more, but her eyes still shone with unshed tears, and the colour had still not returned to her cheeks. She nodded, but remained silent as they continued down the street.

Buffy shot a glance behind them as they drew further away from the gates, and discovered standing there, the young Japanese girl she'd seen many times in her dreams. Her long shinning hair was matted with blood, and she looked to have been beaten within an inch of her life. She smiled, and waved to Buffy, before disappearing completely. Rage crackled inside her, they would need a game-plan, the sooner the better.

~o~

Giles' nerves were visibly frayed as he listened to Faith recall what she saw in the graveyard. He knew the reappearance of The First would be vastly troubling for their small group, he should have expected that it would attempt to weaken the strongest of the bunch first. The sweeping deaths of the other Slayers had distracted all of them, and evidently left their own Slayers as open targets for Its other plans. He looked around the room at the defeated-looking expressions of the people around him. Clearly he was not the only one feeling as though they were in over their heads

"It would seem, for the time being, that The First has it in its cards to throw the two of you off your game." he began, "I know it will be difficult, but the two of you must remain level headed until we learn more of what Travers has in store. You must keep in mind that It is not a physical entity. Though it may attack you psychologically, It can only hurt you as much as you let it."

"Easier said than done, Giles." Faith sighed. She seemed more her normal self now, however to the trained eye she was still shaken underneath the surface.

"I know Faith, but we're at a disadvantage right now, we need to do everything in our power to give ourselves more time." Giles replied.

"It's okay Giles," Buffy interjected, "We'll just have to keep patrolling in groups... It can't screw with all three of us at once. We'll just have to watch each other closely."

"Right. And if anyone sees anything strange at all, there's no keeping it to yourself." Willow agreed.

"Yes, Willow is absolutely right." Giles concurred.

Everyone fell back into silence. Lily and Olly hadn't said a word since the others had returned from their patrol, seeing the more seasoned veterans of the group so visibly shaken by this "First" character had them both worried. Willow was busy wracking her brains for a spell, a potion, anything that could possibly keep them from seeing The First as anything other than its true from, but she was coming up empty handed. She new the coming weeks would include a lot of research, and she found herself cursing the day job she normally found so cushy. Spike had begun pacing nervously, his last run-in with The First had ended his un-life. Given his recent bout as a human, then being turned back into a vampire, and then being souled again, he was really not looking forward to what this battle would have in store for him. Buffy was busy trying to convince herself she would be alright. She already knew, of course, what kind of torture she and Faith would be in for, and she was hoping she would be able to hold herself together, having to stare into the faces of the young Slayers who had both been called, and killed, because of her.

It was Faith, who finally broke the silence in the room, "It's funny," she said, "I'd been on my own for so long, I'd kinda forgotten that there was a whole army of us Slayers... that I'd fought with most of them... hell, that I'd _trained_ half of them... just hearing about them being gone, it doesn't hit you as hard you know? And while you're waiting for your strength to fade... and this big scary goons to come and off you... it's kinda hard to mourn." she trailed off, her cheeks turning slightly pink as she was unaccustomed to talking about her feelings.

Willow smiled sympathetically, "I know, Faith, it's a lot to digest."

"She was a good kid, Yuki." Faith continued, "A little too good! She was smart, respectful, obedient to a fault... basically everything I'm not." she chuckled sadly, "It took me forever to get her to break some rules, you know? I remember when I'd take her patrolling, she'd always ask me if it was time to stake the vampire... and if I didn't tell her to, she's just keep beating the damn thing... it was kinda funny, but it made me worry, you know, like what was she gonna do when I wasn't around anymore? So this one time I wouldn't answer her... she just kept wailing on the poor guy – and she was a good fighter too – and I could see she was finally getting angry! So I just stood by, and I waited, and I didn't say a damn word... and she got fed up and just dusted it, then marched over and yelled at me for not answering her, and punched me in the arm... and I told her she did a good job... and she got it, that I was just there to help her... We were like this afterwards." she held her hand up with her index and middle finger crossed over each other, "Seeing her like that..."

"It wasn't really her." Buffy answered, "Same goes for anyone else you see, it's not really them... you just have to keep telling yourself that."

The others nodded, but Buffy frowned, she wondered how long it would take for The First to wear her down, to make her forget her own advice.

~o~

After Olly had dropped Lily off at home, he and Buffy had spent the rest of the car ride over to her place in silence. Olly was unsure of how to console her, he couldn't imagine being haunted by visions of people he'd cared about... he suddenly was very thankful that no one he loved dearly had passed away – except for Maddy's mother of course. Buffy on the other hand was finding it hard to assure Olly that everything would be alright. When they finally pulled up to the end of her driveway, they were both relieved that the awkward drive was over.

"... You sure you're gonna be okay Buffy?" Olly asked.

"Yeah," she replied with a reassuring smile, "This is my life." she added with a shrug.

"It's certainly never dull."

Silence fell between them again, and Olly looked extremely pensive, something that was fairly unusual. Buffy wondered if he was thinking of Lily, if he was wondering if she was in danger.

"You know, Olly... you really don't have to hide the fact that you and Lily are together from me."

He snapped his head around to look at her, his expression a little bewildered, "What? What are you talking about?"

Buffy stifled a giggle, "Oh, come on! Do you really think I'm that clueless? Give me some credit here!"

"I'm sorry," Olly replied sheepishly, "It's just, we didn't want to upset you, what with Angel..." he trailed off as he saw Buffy's expression fall, "I'm sorry... that was a big no-no."

"It's okay Olly, he may not come back, and I need to get used to it... which is all the more reason why you guys shouldn't be tip-toeing around." Buffy replied with a smirk.

"He will come back." Olly assured her, "Then, hey! Maybe we can double date! Wouldn't Angel just _love_ that?"

Buffy giggled again, "Thanks Olly," she said, stepping out of the car.

"Hey, it's what I do... you bring the ass-kicking, I bring the funny."

"Be careful." Buffy said, as she rounded the car, and headed up her driveway.

"Please! This thing is built like a tank!" he said, patting the side of the car door, "Just wish it would drive like one!" and he puttered off down the road.

Shaking her head, Buffy sauntered the rest of the way up the walkway, a smirk playing on her lips. She was thankful to have Olly and Lily around, and that they hadn't been dragged down by her slaying yet. She knew their optimistic attitudes would be much needed in times to come. As she dug around in her bag, searching for her keys, a voice startled her.

"Aidez-moi... aidez-moi..." it whimpered.

Looking just ahead, at the porch steps, Buffy saw a young girl, no older than twenty, sprawled across them. She wore ripped jeans and a motorcycle-style black leather jacket, her hair was dyed black and purple, and cut short and spikey. She was bloodied and beaten, much the way Yuki had looked outside the cemetery.

Though her stomach flopped again, Buffy steeled herself and walked past the apparition, "Nice try..." she grumbled.

"Seigneur..." she gasped, "You don't remember me Buffy?" she asked in a thick french accent, "C'est moi, Anne-Sophie..."

Clutching her keys tightly in her fist, so they jabbed into her flesh, Buffy turned angrily back towards the thing sprawled across her porch, "You are not Anne-Sophie, now get the hell away from my house!" she growled.

"Tellement méchante! C'est ta faute!" The First spat, her voice changing gradually, as Anne-Sophie's skin became darker, her hair grew longer, and wove itself into a series of tiny braids. Suddenly Buffy found herself staring Naiobi in the face, "It's your fault this happened to me..." she sobbed.

Buffy spun around quickly, and jammed her keys into the lock. She flew through the door and slammed it behind her, her blood still boiling. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to compose herself.

"Oh... hi Maddy." a soft, almost zombie-like voice came from behind her.

Turning to look into the living room, she discovered her father sitting on the couch. His shoulders were slumped, and dark circles rimmed his eyes, in his hand he clutched a half-full coffee cup.

"Hey Dad..." she greeted, "A little late for coffee isn't it?"

"Hmm?" he peered into the mug in his hand, almost as though he'd forgotten it was there, "Oh, I guess you're right."

Her eyebrows knitted together, it was uncharacteristic of her father to seem so disoriented, "Are you feeling alright Dad?" she asked in concern.

"Sure." he answered simply.

"Okay... well, I'm gonna head to bed, maybe you should too." she said with a frown.

"Okay sweetie, I'll head off soon..."

Concern etched into her features, Buffy cast one last glance at Daniel Cross before she disappeared down the hallway and into her room.

As soon as he heard the click of his daughter's bedroom door closing, he looked up, and beads of sweat began to form on his forehead as he discovered her standing before him again.

"Please Darling, come with me... I'm so lonely here." she whispered.

_"I like my town with a little drop of poison  
__Nobody knows they're lining up to go insane"  
_- "Little Drop of Poison" by Tom Waits

~o~

**The First has something dirty up its sleeve... next week all will be revealed!**


	49. Chapter 49: Bitemarks and Bloodstains

**There's a short part in this chapter where you may for a second think I posted the wrong story... never fear! I got a little carried away while writing an original character to set up a bit of the plot, that's all. I was going to edit it down, but it'd been so long since I did any original writing, and I kinda ended up liking how it turned out that I left it alone. **

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

* * *

Chapter 49: Bitemarks and Bloodstains

Buffy had never in her life welcomed the sound of her alarm, but she did this morning. Her run-in with The First late last night seemed to have only made the nightmares worse, and she slid out of bed feeling even more tired than she had the night before if it were at all possible. She crossed the hall and entered the bathroom, hoping a nice hot shower would wake her up slightly. Stepping into the stream of water, she lazily began to wash her hair, as her thoughts drifted back to the events of the prior evening. Seeing Faith so emotionally shaken had been difficult, she was used to relying on Faith to be a pillar of strength while the rest of them fell apart; it was her strong suit to be tough, no pun intended. The fact that The First had managed to toy with her so easily meant it was only a matter of time before it started wearing the rest of them down, and it wouldn't be a pretty sight when it eventually occurred.

What they needed to do was find Travers. She was sure given enough _persuasion_, he would talk. As she finished up her routine, and shut off the water, she made a mental note to ask Willow to use her computer whiz skills to see if he'd left any sort of paper trail.

Putting on fresh clothes, she exited the bathroom and padded down the hall towards the kitchen. She paused once she reached her father's room, hearing him speaking inside.

"No, please stop asking me, I can't..."

There was a long pause.

"But what about Madeline? I couldn't-"

Another pause.

"Of course I miss you..."

Something in the tone of his voice set off Buffy's Slayer-sense, and she knocked lightly on the door before opening it a crack, "Dad?" she asked quietly.

Daniel's head whipped around towards the door, his eyes were wide and bewildered, "Good morning honey, what is it?"

The uneasy feeling in her stomach grew, as she took in her father's gaunt complexion, and the dark circles under his eyes. "I... um... are you sure you're alright?" she asked.

His eyes wandered away from her, as though he were looking to someone else for an answer, "Of course sweetie, of course..."

Frowning, Buffy looked around the room uneasily, he was alone as far as she could see, if there was something there with him, there was no way she could figure it out without alarming him. "Okay. Do you want me to make you some coffee?" she asked.

"Sure, that would be nice, thank you." he answered with a forced smile.

Buffy nodded, and shut the door. As she headed towards the kitchen, she hoped her father would be safe at work while Buffy addressed the situation with Giles.

~o~

Buffy wove her way through the people making their way to work as she hurried down the main street towards the bookstore. She didn't have much time before class, but if something was haunting her father, she wanted to deal with it, and fast. She was about a block away from reaching her destination, when a series of shocked shouts erupted behind her.

"Thief! Stop him! He just stole from my store!" Someone cried.

Buffy span around to see a teenage boy running at full speed, pushing his way through the people, "Out of my way lady!" he grunted, pushing aside a middle-aged woman who tried to step in his path. As he rushed by Buffy, she threw her arm out, clothes-lining the kid and causing him to fall backwards onto the hard pavement of the sidewalk. Crouching down she pinned him to the ground with one hand, while holding the other out, palm-side up in front of his face.

"Give it here." she scolded.

The boy, still trying to catch his breath, and bewildered that a girl smaller than him and slammed him to the ground, fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a sizeable stack of bills. "He told me to do it... he... he... he..." the boy stammered, shoving the money into Buffy's open hand.

"Well, I think you need to find yourself a better role model." she scolded, pulling him to his feet as a short, stout, older man came puffing down the street, and pushed his way through the crowd of people who had gathered around the incident.

"Oh thank you!" he huffed, when he saw Buffy had the young thief in one hand, and his money in the other. She handed the cash back to the old man with a bashful smile.

"You hear that!" the boy shouted over her shoulder, "I never should have listened to you! Now, now I'm gonna end up in jail!" he nearly sobbed.

Buffy turned to look behind her, but there was no one there, aside from men and women in business suits who were circling around the gathered crowd in an attempt to get to work on time.

"Who are you talking to?" she asked.

"Him! Over there! Don't you see him?" he cried, pointing towards the entrance to a small alley just behind her.

Buffy turned around once more, but there was no one there.

~o~

Buffy burst into the bookstore a short while later. She'd been forced to hang around on the street until the police had arrived to arrest the teenage boy, who had sputtered nonsense about his invisible accomplice until they shoved him into the backseat of their patrol car. After giving her statement, she discovered she was already a half an hour late for class, and decided against going. Speaking to Giles seemed of the utmost importance now.

"Buffy? You're here early today." Giles greeted her, taking his nose out of the large book he was pouring over at the table.

"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." she replied.

Giles simply stared at her, blinking.

"Hamlet?" she elaborated.

"Yes, I'm well aware... I'm sorry, I got caught up thinking how strange it is to hear you make literary references." he explained finally.

She narrowed her eyes at him before crossing towards the table, "Now's not the time for making funnies Giles, there's something weird going on in town, it's got my Slayer-sense going haywire."

"Oh?" Giles urged, and Buffy began to re-tell of her father's bizarre behaviour, and the frantic ramblings of the teenaged robber mere moments ago.

"Hmmm, yes, that is a rather strange coincidence," he agreed, "However, there's no indication that it's anything paranormal, really, the boy could have merely been on drugs, or perhaps mentally unstable..."

"And my Dad?" Buffy asked, an eyebrow raised.

Giles paused, "Yes... um... that is somewhat bizarre. Are you certain he wasn't on the phone?"

"Positive. Plus he kept glancing to the corner, as if someone were standing there... Giles, what if The First is, I don't know, expanding its targets?"

"What purpose would that serve?" Giles inquired, rising to scan the books on the shelves behind him.

"To make life difficult for me?" she wondered, "I don't know! It's pure evil! Maybe It's just trying to have some fun on the side while It torments Faith and me."

Giles turned back around to study her. He was sure were her Father not involved, she would be less concerned about the reasons behind the adolescent boy's crime-spree. "I'll look into it Buffy," he agreed, she had a lot on her plate at the moment, he figured he could at least humour her for the day and look into this. It wouldn't do anyone any good to have her distracted and worried about her family at a time like this, "You have class today, no?"

With a sigh, Buffy adjusted her book bag on her shoulder, "Yeah... thanks Giles, I'll stop in before patrol, like usual." she answered, before turning turning to leave.

Removing the large handkerchief from his pocket, Giles paused to clean his glasses before turning back to the shelves and shelves of books behind him. He would have to admit, he was somewhat thankful for the sudden change in research topics, information on the Cruoris was scarce, and what he had found was proving to be rather discouraging. There didn't seem to be any written accounts of one ever being defeated, something that worried Giles greatly. If they were to rely on solely Buffy, Faith and Spike to battle them all, they would need a weakness. Something that could put them at an advantage against these merciless monsters. He pushed his worries out of his mind as he placed his glasses back onto his nose, and began once more to browse the titles. Stumbling upon a weathered volume titled _Spectres and Other Apparitions_, he pulled it off the shelf, and settled down to begin reading.

~o~

Patricia Barnes careened down the street at full speed, her bleach-blond hair flying wildly in the wind, mascara streaming down her cheeks. Normally, she wouldn't be caught dead in public in such an unkempt state, but today she didn't care. She was sure her husband, the esteemed lawyer Kenneth Barnes, would scold her for pushing the flashy red Porscha to such limits, but to hell with him, she wasn't about to let him make a fool of her anymore. An ironic laugh erupted from her lips, and the gaudy diamond tennis bracelet wrapped around her wrist glinted in the sunlight as she brought her hand up to wipe the tears from one of her eyes, smearing more mascara across her already blackened cheeks. The tall, slender figure reclining sensually in the passenger seat frowned at her sympathetically, "Don't be upset, Patricia, he'll know what kind of a mistake he's made soon enough." she soothed, her voice was hypnotic, just as sensual as the rest of her.

Patricia cast a glance at the woman; half her age, and at least twice as beautiful as she was, and she felt her skin crawl. All she had wanted to do today was spend another mindless afternoon at the Spa. That was, of course, one of the many luxuries of marrying rich; spa trips, shopping sprees, never having to lift a finger around the house. All she had to do in return was keep herself looking like the trophy wife she had been when Kenneth had asked her to marry him twenty years ago, and she had. Her blood boiled as she thought of all the time she had wasted being tortured by personal trainers at the gym, and the painful plastic surgeries she'd undergone to keep her youthful appearance, the spray-tans, the bi-monthly trips to the salon to get her roots touched up, and the scabs that would consequently peel off her scalp in the shower from the peroxide eating away at her flesh. All these things she'd done for him, to please him, and yet it wasn't enough. He still felt the need to stray.

She'd known for years that he was unfaithful, and instead of confronting him about it, she just tried harder; lost more weight, got larger breasts, anything, but it never stopped. Finally, about five years ago she'd had enough, and threatening to divorce him and ruin him both publicly and financially, something that would be devastating in such a small, tight-knit town like Braebrook, he promised he would stop. She had thought it was the end of it, until just a half an hour earlier, when the woman now sitting at her side had mysteriously appeared at the end of their driveway.

Patricia had just exited the house, dressed to the nines, hair done, dripping with expensive jewelry, and her designer handbag slung carelessly off her arm. Crossing to her Porscha, a recent gift from her husband, as though she were walking the catwalk at a fashion show, she was interrupted by a voice calling her name. Turning to the end of the driveway, she discovered a young woman in her twenties who looked like she _had_ just stepped off a runway. She was tall and slender, her facial features perfectly proportioned and her skin smooth and flawless. Her long, thick hair shone like spun gold in the sun it was so healthy.

"Yes?" Patricia replied, removing her oversized sunglasses to look the young woman up and down with slight disdain.

"I'm really sorry to bother you, but we need to talk." she'd answered, stepping a bit closer.

The young woman had gone on confess of how she'd been having an affair for months with Kenneth, that he'd claimed she was the love of his life, that he would leave his wife for her – and yet, he never did. She said she'd been patient, thinking it was just hard for him to end such a long marriage, that he must be very fond of Patricia, but she'd just walked by a small cafe on main street and spotted him inside with another woman, and they looked "rather close" as she'd put it, as tears welled up in her sparkling, long-eyelashed, eyes. "He's really just a dog! I wonder now how many other women he told the same story to!" she wept.

Patricia fumed. Kenneth had left early that morning claiming to be meeting with someone from a large Firm in L.A., they had been begging him to join their Firm for the last year, and he was finally thinking of accepting their offer. Patricia had been over the moon, it would have been wonderful to move to the big city, to rub elbows with everyone who was anyone... but that didn't matter now. The woman had told her if they hurried, they could make it to the cafe before he left, that they could confront him, and let everyone know what kind of a man Kenneth Barnes really was. However, once Patricia had climbed behind the wheel of her car, another idea had passed through her mind, one that she had yet to inform her passenger of as she blew through the light facing the small cafe. She would destroy Kenneth Barnes – literally – and she would take all of his damned mistresses down with him. As she sped closer and closer to the small terrace of the cafe, she spotted her husband sitting near the railing, deep in conversation and sipping an espresso. It was then that Patricia's heart stopped in her chest. Sitting across from her husband, was not another young woman, but an older man in an expensive business suit. She turned to look at the young mistress sitting next to her in the car, but found the seat completely empty. Screaming, Patricia slammed on the breaks, but it was too late, and the fiery red sportscar leaped the sidewalk and hurdled towards the cafe.

The last thing Kenneth Barnes saw was his wife's horrified face before the deafening sound of crunching metal and cracking wood echoed through the street.

~o~

Giles lifted his head from the book spread out on the table in front of him, as the sound of screeching tires filled the shop. The sound of a loud crash immediately followed, then a moment of complete silence, before horrified shrieks filled the air. Rising from his seat, he exited his shop, and looked around. Just a few blocks away, he saw a crowd begin to form around a small terrace, where a bright red convertible had crashed, demolishing the entire patio. He took a few tentative steps forward, as more people rushed by him to the scene of the accident.

"The driver is still alive! Someone call 9-1-1!" Giles heard someone shout, and he turned around and ran back into the bookstore to do just that.

~o~

Just after sundown, once she'd finished her long day of classes, Buffy trudged into the bookstore. Cramming the majority of her classes into one day, in order to give herself more time to train and help with research, and really been a terrible idea. All she really wanted to do was take a nap, but now she had to wait for Faith and Spike, and spend hours patrolling.

"What happened at the cafe?" she asked. She was tired, but not too tired to notice the yellow police tape surrounding the now-demolished cafe patio not too far down the street.

"You didn't hear?" Olly asked, a scandalous smile spread across his face.

"Olly, someone _died_, you're being terrible!" Lily scolded.

Buffy frowned, "Someone died?" she asked.

"You know Kenneth Barnes?" Olly asked.

"Yeah, he's the Divorce Lawyer that your Mom hired, wasn't he?"

Olly nodded, "Best lawyer in town, took my Dad to the cleaners..." he agreed ruefully.

"He's dead?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah... his wife ran him over with her car..." Lily explained, her tone of voice a little more sorrowful than Olly's.

"She _ran him over_?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so. It was a rather gruesome scene." Giles confirmed, finally looking up from his book.

"But why? I mean, there were always pictures of them at fundraisers in the paper and they looked so happy..." Buffy wondered aloud.

"Well that's the freaky part, apparently when they were pulling her out of the totalled car, she was screaming that he'd been cheating on her." Olly said.

Buffy looked to Giles for confirmation.

"Yes, it's true." Giles said, "After I called for an ambulance I went back outside, as she was regaining consciousness she kept mentioning that his mistress was in the car with her... but there was no one there."

Buffy's expression fell, "She was talking about a woman that no one could see?"

Giles nodded solemnly, "I've been researching what you asked me for the rest of the day, I believe you may have been right to suspect something."

"We've been helping since we got out of class." Lily added.

The bell at the door chimed, and Buffy turned to see Willow strolling through the door, a bottle covered in a paper bag clutched in her hand, and a bewildered expression on her face.

"Willow... have a hard day?" Olly joked, gesturing towards the bottle.

Her face began to turn red, "I just took this from a thirteen year old... _thirteen_!" she cried in disbelief, "He was just walking down the street, drinking! And then he had the gall to say the store clerk just _gave_ it to him! Can you believe it?" she slammed the bottle down on the table, and fell into a chair with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Okay... robbers, crazy wives running down their husbands, pre-teens drinking free booze in the streets... I think it's safe to say something strange is going on, Giles." Buffy said.

"Yes, I think I'm inclined to agree." Giles replied.

"Maybe everyone in Braebrook is just tired of acting so perfect all the time, they're finally letting their true colours show through!" Olly joked. No one laughed, "Tough crowd..."

"It has to be The First." Buffy stressed.

"But why?" Willow asked.

"I really couldn't say..." Giles mused, "Perhaps we should look for other accounts of towns beginning to act, erm, debaucherous? See if anything lines up?"

"Actually," Lily interrupted, "I might have a theory."

Giles turned to the young girl, a quizzical expression on his face, "Really?"

She nodded enthusiastically, "Well, The First is trying to get rid of Buffy, right...? Sorry Buffy..." she whispered.

"Don't be," Buffy answered.

"And we're sitting on top of a Hellmouth, right?" Lily continued.

Giles nodded thoughtfully as Lily continued, "Yes, go on..."

"Well, what if The First wanted to open the Hellmouth in order to get to Buffy and Faith?"

"But if that were the case, why would it be going after the general population?" Willow asked.

"My guess?" Buffy added, "To make Braebrook such a horrible place that Faith and I won't even want to try and save it. Then It has a home for all Its lovely new demon friends."

"I think you might very well have reason," Giles agreed, "We should continue working with this theory and begin monitoring the town for more incidents like the ones today. Willow, perhaps you could try to find a spell of some sort, something that could potentially block The Firsts influence?"

"I'll see what I can find." Willow replied.

"You'll be able to stop It, won't you?" Lily asked Buffy.

"I think It's hoping I'll be gone by the time It's finished."

Everyone in the room wore dark expressions, it was overwhelming enough knowing that they may fall prey to The First's mind games, but knowing that it was now planning on preying on all of Braebrook seemed like a daunting thing to overcome.

"I don't wish to worry you Buffy, but if you think your Father was seeing things this morning..." Giles said.

"You read my mind Giles," Buffy answered, "I'm gonna go home and check on him, tell Faith and Spike to patrol without me tonight!"

And she rushed out the door.

~o~

Buffy stepped into her house quietly, she was hoping that if The First was indeed toying with her Father, that maybe she would be able to catch it in the act. She stood silently in the hall a moment, listening. The house was deathly quiet.

"Dad?" she called, but received no answer. His car was in the driveway, so she knew he was home. She wondered if perhaps he was taking a nap, but walking by his bedroom, she found his bed to be empty. It was then that she realized the shower was running in the bathroom, and she breathed a sigh of relief, he simply couldn't hear her over the sound of the running water. She headed towards her bedroom, feeling elated. She'd talk to him after, see what it was exactly that had been bothering him last night and this morning. She froze when she reached her bedroom door, and noticed that the door to the bathroom was wide open. Turning to peer inside, her blood ran cold. Nothing, not even twenty years of Slaying, could have prepared her for the sight she was met with. She felt warm and cold at the same time, her heart felt like it was beating in her throat, and her body began to tremor slightly.

"Daddy?"

_"But scarecrow, I'm still alive,  
Who sewed me back together to watch the whole world writhe?"  
_- "Live at the Apocalypse Cabaret" by the Blood Brothers

~o~


	50. Chapter 50: Black Magic Woman

**WARNING: The beginning of this chapter alludes to a suicide. I realize this may be a sensitive subject for some people, so I've put a full page break after the section. That way if you don't want to read it, feel free to skip ahead to the break and continue reading from there.**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

* * *

Chapter 50: Black Magic Woman

Buffy couldn't move, wouldn't move. She sat as still as stone on the edge of her porch steps, wrapped in a blanket one of the Paramedics had placed around her. Her clothes were soaked from pulling her Father out of the shower, but she didn't care, she didn't feel anything at the moment. Just out of earshot, for a normal human being at least, one of the Paramedics conversed quietly with a Police Officer. They glanced every so often at her with a sorrowful expression, thinking she couldn't hear them. She wasn't really paying attention, but every now and then she would pick out words: "Self-inflicted,", "massive blood-loss", "time of death: 7 o'clock p.m.", twenty-five minutes before she'd gotten home.

_Twenty-five minutes._

Buffy cursed herself, she should have stopped by to check on him before going to the bookstore. He'd been acting strange since last night, she should have instinctively known something was wrong. She should have been there, she could have stopped it. Feeling herself begin to shake again, she took a deep breath. Another Paramedic made her way over to Buffy, she was younger, with a kind, careful face.

"Miss?" she asked quietly.

Buffy looked up to the woman, her eyes wide and dull, but didn't speak.

"We called the number you gave us, your friends should be here any minute, okay?" she soothed, kneeling in front of her, "Would you like me to escort you inside to get a few things? Or would you rather wait until they get here?"

Buffy licked her lips, a futile gesture, the inside of her mouth felt like sandpaper, "I'll wait." she whispered.

The Paramedic nodded, with a comforting expression on her face, "I'll be just over there if you need anything." she said, pointing towards the ambulance. The ambulance where they'd loaded the bodybag they'd sealed her father into just moments ago.

Staring at the pulsating red lights of the ambulance, the reality of the situation finally washed over Buffy like a tidal wave; her father was dead. She was alone. It was an odd sensation, in actuality, her real mother had been dead for almost sixteen years, and her real father, well, she hadn't spoken to him in ages... yet the thought of never again being greeted lovingly by the kindly Daniel Cross when she entered the house left a hole in her heart.

A set of bright headlights turned into the driveway, momentarily blinded her, and washed away the red glow of all the emergency vehicles' lights. The engine cut, and Giles and Willow burst out of the car. Willow immediately flew towards Buffy, while Giles stopped to speak to the Paramedic who had spoken to Buffy mere moments ago.

Willow knelt in front of her, a look of sheer horror on her face, and gripped Buffy's shoulders gently in her hands, "Buffy?" she whispered quietly, careful that no one else heard.

Buffy finally looked away from the ambulance to her best friend's worried face.

"Are you alright?" she asked, her voice tearful and trembling.

Buffy took a moment to consider Willow's words, and it took only that moment for the rest of her strength to crumble away. Shaking her head slowly, she felt hot tears beginning to pour down her cheeks. Willow's own eyes began to water, as she pulled Buffy into a comforting hug, letting her cry silently into her shoulder. Giles finally finished conversing with the Paramedic, and with a grave expression on his face, he crossed the lawn, and sat down on the steps next to Buffy. Placing a hand gently on Buffy's back, he looked to Willow, "When she's ready, I'll drive you both back to your place." he said softly.

Willow nodded slightly, trying not to disrupt Buffy, "When you get home," she began to whisper, "I think you need to call someone."

* * *

Around noon the following day, the phone rang shrilly through Willow's small home. She rushed to the kitchen, and hastily picked up the receiver before it could ring for too long.

"Hello?" she panted.

"Willow?" the voice at the other end asked apprehensively.

Willow sighed in relief, "Angel, thank God!"

Angel gripped the cord of the pay phone tightly, wrapping it around his fingers, "How is she?" he asked. It had been excruciating, waiting until it was a decent hour to call after Giles had finally gotten in touch with him and told him the news.

Willow sighed again, then there was a long pause, where he could only assume she was trying to pull herself together, "Not very good Angel... not very good at all." she whispered finally.

Angel leaned into the phone heavily, his teeth clenched as he cursed himself for being so far away when Buffy needed support. He felt he had failed her in some way. "Can I... can I speak to her?" he asked, trying his hardest to keep his voice from breaking.

It had been awhile since Willow had heard so much sorrow in Angel's voice, and it wrenched her heart, "Oh... Angel... she only just fell asleep... I-" she began to ramble.

"It's alright Willow, don't wake her." he said reassuringly, even though it truly crushed him that he couldn't even offer his love some comforting words in her grief.

"But you're coming back soon, right?" Willow asked, letting the tiniest bit of hope to colour her voice.

"I am," he affirmed, "I just have one small thing I have to do first."

"Okay... take care Angel, and please hurry."

Angel grinned sadly, "Thank you Willow."

He hung up the phone, and gripped the side of it tightly enough to leave indentations of his fingertips on the surface. With a sigh, he turned and pulled his coat around him tighter, keeping up the pretence that the crisp autumn air affected him. He turned to continue down the road, his hands plunged deeply into his coat pockets, his head hanging low. He was heavily into "brood-mode" as Buffy would have referred to it in happier times... His thoughts travelled back to how she must be feeling right now, and immense guilt began to rise up inside him. He should have been there - no, he should be there; to comfort her, to help her through this. If only he hadn't dawdled at the Council for so long, he could have been back in Braebrook ages ago. He wondered why it had taken him so long to make it all the way to Bucharest. Was it possible that he was afraid of what he may find out from the Romani Elder? He had to admit to himself, over a hundred years of holding himself responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people, of torturing himself and not allowing himself the slightest pleasure... it was a hard habit to break; and the last time he'd given himself that luxury, things hadn't exactly taken a turn for the best. Turning down a quiet side street, lined with very old buildings, he decided that things wouldn't go that way this time around. He had been put into this body for a reason, and regardless of what the Romani told him, he knew Buffy needed him there right now.

He stopped in front of a quaint little building that somewhat resembled a townhouse. He was on edge, feeling a bit as though he were about to waltz right into a dragon's den. Gathering his courage, he slowly made his way up the steps and knocked on the front door. After waiting a few moments, a matronly looking woman opened the door. She looked Angel up and down, and her eyes bulged slightly. Muttering something in Romanian under her breath, she scurried away from the door, but left it wide open.

"Wait! I mean... um, _asteptam_?" he stuttered in broken Romanian. He unconsciously reached out his arm in the direction she'd run off in, and found that he was able to cross the threshold of the home, she must have invited him in. "Thank you..." he called softly after her, as he stepped through the door. Angel stood in the large, empty hall of the home looking around apprehensively. It seemed to be empty, void of any life, he wondered if perhaps he'd frightened everyone away, just as he had the woman who answered the door. He was about to call out, when he heard the sound of heavy boots clunking down the long winding staircase in front of him. An older gentleman, with greying hair stepped into view. He eyed Angel, then with a faint smirk, he pulled out a pocket watch and glanced at the time.

He chuckled, "Right on time, just as she predicted." stuffing the pocket watch back into his jacket's pocket, he descended the rest of the steps, then standing in front of Angel, gestured towards them, "Go on then," he said, "She has been waiting for you."

Hesitantly, Angel stepped past the man and began to make his way up the winding staircase. Once reaching the top, he discovered a long hallway. All the doors were closed, save for one at the very end of the corridor, he slowly made his way towards it, as he drew nearer, he began to hear faint whispering floating through the door. Peering inside, he discovered an old woman. She sat on a large cushion on the floor, a table in front of her, where a set of Tarot Cards were spread out in an intricate pattern. Her long white hair was tied back in a braid, and her face was deeply etched with lines and wrinkles. She looked up from her cards, and squinted at Angel, as though it would help her see through the milky whiteness of her cataracts. "Ah, you are here finally." she whispered, "Welcome, Angelus."

Angel moved slowly to stand in front of her, "I prefer Angel nowadays, Madam." he replied.

Her lips curled into a smirk, "A demon named Angel..." she chuckled, "I can appreciate the irony, yes." she threw her arm out in front of her, gesturing to Angel, "Sit." she commanded.

Angel obeyed, and lowered himself to the floor on the opposite side of the small table, "I've come because-"

"Oh, I know why you are here young man," she paused, then chuckled, "_Young man_... how foolish of me, I apologize."

Angel couldn't help but smile, for as frail as she looked, she certainly still had her wits about her.

"I have spoken with Nadya, she has explained all to me." she continued.

"Nadya?" Angel asked in confusion.

"The young woman we sent to America."

Angel's thoughts flashed back to the young gypsy woman Dustin had turned just before the Guardian was released, "But how-"

"You of all people should know not to question the strength of Romani magick." she clucked, "Yes, I communicated with her from the other side... she pleaded quite strongly for your soul... she says you do real good now, that you help the Chosen One... that you even love her."

Angel averted his eyes, and fixed his gaze on the tabletop. For Buffy's safety, he had hoped to leave her out of this, he should have known it would have been easier said than done, "Yes," he replied simply.

The elder chuckled again, "A vampyr in love with a slayer, you are full of contradictions!"

Angel was unsure of whether or not he should return the smile, "She... she is why I'm here." he replied hesitantly, "Nadya, she said my soul has been anchored by other means than your magic."

"And you want to know if it is true, so you can be with your love without risking what happened _last_ time." she whispered.

Angel clenched his fists as guilt rose up inside him, "Yes."

He swore he saw a twinkle in the old woman's milky eyes as she flipped over another Tarot Card and added it to her layout; it was the Wheel of Fortune. She smirked slightly as she ran her hand over it. "It is true." she answered, looking up to meet Angel's eyes, "It was not our magick which brought your soul to this body, there were higher powers at work."

Angel knew she must be telling the truth, because the joy that washed over him that moment would have caused the curse to break had she not been, "You mean-" he began.

"You may be with your slayer, yes," she chuckled, shaking her head slightly, "You will not put her or her loved ones in danger. The soul is yours to keep."

Angel tried valiantly to keep the enormous smile from spreading across his face, "Thank you." he said quietly.

She smiled solemnly, then closed her eyes while resting her hands palm side down on the tabletop, "Perhaps it was meant to be, that our ancestors cursed you with your soul."

"It's been a long time since I considered it a curse." Angel replied honestly.

The smirk returned to her lips, and she opened one blank eye to glance at Angel. She closed her eyes again, her face becoming solemn once more. "There are things that have been put into motion, things that you will be instrumental in stopping." she began, "I heard the echoes of the warriors' deaths."

"You're talking of the other Slayers?" Angel asked.

She nodded, and with her eyes still closed she reached her hand out and held it over the deck of cards, "Yes," she finally plucked the top card from the deck, and turning it over placed it down on the table in front of her. Opening her eyes, she frowned; it was the Strength card, and it was reversed. "You must return home now," she stated, tapping the card lightly, "There are great challenges that the Chosen One faces, her resolve is crumbling, she needs you at her side."

Without another word, Angel scrambled to his feet and headed towards the door. He paused, before exiting the room, and turned back to the elder, "You keep calling her the Chosen One... but you know there are other Slayers now... why?" he asked.

The woman smiled mischievously, "I knew you would pick up on that," she began as she gathered her Tarot Cards together once more, "I did not say she was the chosen Slayer,"

"Then what do you mean?" Angel asked.

"_Together you were strong, alone you are dead_" she whispered.

If it were physically possible, a chill would have run down Angel's spine at that moment, "That never happened..." he murmured.

"Those words were perhaps never uttered, but they still ring true. Think of everything that has occurred... how did you end up in this new form?" she asked.

"I... we..." Angel stammered.

"Died?"

He simply nodded.

She shuffled the cards slowly, then as she carefully cut the deck into three piles she began to speak again, "The battle between Good and Evil will only continue to grow, what the Slayer faces now is just the beginning. Both of you have been given another chance, the Powers that govern this plane need both of you in order to triumph, it has been written."

"But... why? Why us? What do we need to do?"

"I do not claim to understand the magic of the Universe, I am not able to see the outcome of events of such magnitude." humming quietly, she began once more to lay out the Tarot Cards in front of her, "But I do know, you are back here because of your love for her, you cannot let that go to waste."

"What do you mean?" Angel asked.

"As you now know, your soul was not returned by Romani magic," she explained, "When your Slayer's soul was thrown back into this dimension, you felt it, you knew she would need you there. The Higher Powers allowed your soul to escape the higher plane, in order to help the one you love."

Angel shook his head, "I don't understand."

"It was your love for her, that brought you back."

Angel merely stood frozen in the doorway, almost unable to believe what she was telling him.

She looked up finally from her task, her crêpe-paper-like brow furrowed, "Go on then! Your Love waits for you!" she scolded.

Angel snapped back to reality, and took a step backwards through the door, "Yes... Thank you, again, I mean it." he replied, before hurrying down the hall.

"As the younger ones would say," she called after him, "'Don't screw it up this time!'"

Angel chuckled as he flew down the long spiral staircase.

He was going home.

_"I was perched outside in the pouring rain  
Trying to make myself a sail  
Then I'll float to you my darlin'  
With the evening on my tail  
Although not the most honest means of travel  
It gets me there nonetheless  
I'm a heartless man at worst, babe  
And a helpless one at best "  
_- "Candy" by Paolo Nutini

~o~

***sigh* It upset me greatly when I realized that I would have to kill off Daniel Cross. I knew I couldn't do the parent death thing as well as Joss did, and I didn't really want to write about it, however I realized I needed him to be gone not only for the ending of this story, but also because I needed something to happen to make Buffy emotionally vulnerable in the next chapter (You'll see why when I post it next week).**

**Now onto happier topics: Angel finally got his ass in gear and made it to the Romani! I think this was another one of my favourite parts to write, I thought it would be fun to play with the Gypsy Elder not being scary and confrontational. In my opinion, if you're going to be an Elder in a clan, I think you should be a bit more open minded and reasonable about things. I figured if she could see the benefit in Angel not being able to lose his soul, she wouldn't be so inclined to get all vengeful on him. I also couldn't help throwing in a little IWRY reference, with all the rambling the Mohra Demon did about the End of Days, I always thought more meaning could be put behind the other things it said.**

**With that, I promise you all a B/A reunion SOON! You've all been very patient with me having them circle each other for 50 chapters, and I appreciate it! :) **


	51. Chapter 51: Darkness Falls

**I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend! I've got a very exciting chapter for you right here! Enjoy!**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

* * *

_"Can you hear my call?  
Are you coming to get me now?  
I've been waiting for,  
You to come rescue me,  
I need you to hold,  
All of the sadness I can not,  
Live with inside of me. "  
_- "I'm In Here" by Sia

Chapter 51: Darkness Falls

Buffy sat silently on the sofa in her living room picking at the hem of the horrible grey skirt her visiting aunt had insisted she wear for the funeral. It seemed as though her relatives didn't visit often, a fact she was quite thankful for at the moment. Given the circumstances she didn't have the energy to uphold the facade that she was Madeline, it was exhausting enough trying to remember to answer to the name on a regular basis. Lily and Olly sat dutifully at her sides, ready to shoo away anyone who attempted to press her into conversation. She had had enough of people offering their condolences, and casting mournful glances towards her as they whispered amongst themselves about her father's unfortunate demise.

She could not be more thankful to have her friends there to support her, the past four days had gone by in a blur. It had been Lily who had helped her get in touch with her extended family, in order to inform them of Daniel's death, and Olly who had fought alongside Willow when her pushy aunt had suggested Buffy move to Wisconsin to live with her. Sacred duties aside, Buffy had no desire to live with a woman she hardly knew. Not to mention she would be turning twenty – in Madeline's years – in the spring, and was more than capable of taking care of herself. She'd quickly come to the tough decision of selling the house, and Willow had graciously offered to let Buffy stay with her; an offer which had come as quite a relief in wake of the tragedy.

Everything related to the death of Daniel Cross had been taken care of so swiftly that it almost felt to Buffy's dismay as though he'd never existed. Mere hours earlier, as she was standing at the side of his grave, listening to the Priest as they lowered his coffin into the ground, she found herself wondering how she'd got there... it was as though she'd suddenly woken up from a dream. Or perhaps, she'd thought, she had merely blocked it out of her mind; like she had the one small detail about her father's passing that she refused to let herself dwell on.

Finally looking up from her skirt to scan the room, she saw that most of the guests had begun to file out of the small home. She sighed a sigh of relief, knowing it meant it wouldn't be too much longer before she could slip back into a comfortable pair of sweatpants, then gather together some more of her things to take back to Willow's. Her eyes fell on the corner of the room, where Giles, Willow, and Faith stood huddled together. Spike was absent, as it was the middle of the day, and there would have been nothing convincing enough she could have told her aunt as to why the funeral should be held at night.

She felt a pang of guilt, Faith and Spike had been patrolling on overdrive the past four nights. Faith had even taken to surveying the streets during the day, as it seemed Lily's theory was proving true. The crime rate in the small town had risen exponentially in the past few days, and anyone who was caught insisted that someone had coerced them into committing the crime; someone who no one could either identify or find afterwards.

Watching her aunt usher the last guest out of the home, Buffy rose stiffly from the sofa, "I'll be in my room," she whispered, and disappeared down the hallway.

Lily and Olly frowned at each other, before Lily left his side, and crossed the room towards where Giles and the others stood.

Willow watched Buffy disappear with a worried expression on her face, "I hate seeing her like this, I know she's feeling so helpless."

"It's alright Willow, she'll bounce back, just give it some time." Faith offered.

"I hope so."

"Hey, guys?" Lily chimed in, "This may not be the best time... actually, it probably is the best time, we could all use some cheering up, right?" she didn't wait for their answer, "Anyway, I was at the magic shop yesterday, doing some reading, and I think I may have found something that could help us." she said.

"Really?" Giles asked, is interest piqued.

"What kind of reading were you doing?" Willow asked suspiciously.

Lily's face reddened, "I, um, I know you told me to stay away from it, but I was just reading, for knowledge's sake, I swear!" she rambled as Willow's face twisted into a scowl, "It was in one of the Dark Arts books they have in the back of the store," she continued, as she pulled a folded piece of looseleaf torn from a notebook out of her pocket, and handed it to Willow "I copied it down so you could take a look at it, but I think it's a spell that can bind an entity into a solid form."

Willow unfolded the paper and began to read.

"I know The First might be too powerful for something like this to work, but I figured it was worth a shot... I mean, if It's trapped in solid flesh, It can't wreak havoc on the whole town anymore, right?"

"Yes, that is an excellent theory," Giles murmured, "Willow? What do you think?"

Willow looked up from the paper, her eyes shining, "I think... I think this just might work! I mean, there's always the possibility that The First is too strong, but it's worth trying!"

Lily grinned proudly, with the never ending bad news they seemed to be encountering lately, it felt nice to bring some hope to the group, "So when can we try it?" she asked.

"The sooner the better, I'd say." Faith interjected, "Spike and I can't keep up with the massive crime-spree forever, and with Buffy down for the count right now, we could use all the supernatural help we can get."

~o~

Buffy tossed restlessly in her bed before rolling over on her side and sighing. She'd barely been able to get more than a few hours of sleep a night in the past few days, and when she did, she was still plagued by nightmares. She knew she had to pull herself together, she had to be stronger than this. People were depending on her, but she just didn't have the energy it seemed. Her eyes drifted to the nightstand, where Willow had placed the delicate silver frame that encased the picture of Buffy and her mother smiling happily. A knot twisted in her stomach; she had destroyed what was left of this family. If she had never been brought to Braebrook, Madeline and Daniel Cross would have continued to live their simple lives, and Lily and Olly would have never been thrown into the world of the paranormal. It seemed that no matter how much good she tried to do, something was making sure the balance was being kept, in a most devastating way.

Unable and unwilling to lie awake any longer, Buffy slid out of bed and threw on some clothes. She grabbed the small picture frame off the nightstand, and pushed open the window.

~o~

With a yawn, Willow trudged through the door, kicked off her shoes, and tossed her bag on a nearby side table. She'd spent the better part of the evening over at the bookstore going over the spell Lily had come across. It was fairly straightforward, no stinky herbs, candles, or bizarre relics involved, just a simple incantation, but Willow knew it would take a lot of strength to channel the magic needed for such a large spell.

Padding to the kitchen, she opened the cupboard, grabbed a glass, and poured herself some water. Taking a large sip, she realized how quiet the house was, and wondered if Buffy had already gone to sleep. Placing the glass down on the counter, she crossed back towards the entrance, and headed up the stairs. At the end of the hallway, she stopped outside of the guest room door, and knocked quietly, "Buffy?" she called softly, "Buffy? Are you awake?"

When she received no answer, she cracked the door open slightly, and peeked inside. The bed was empty, the sheets rumpled and thrown back haphazardly. Her brow knitted together, and turning away from the bedroom, she called down the hallway, "Buffy?" but was met with only silence. Throwing the door to the room open all the way, nothing seemed amiss, until Willow noticed the window had been left open.

She felt slightly panicked, in her current state of mind, Buffy really shouldn't be wandering around the slowly deteriorating Braebrook so late at night, especially with The First and the Cruoris on the loose. She took a deep breath, telling herself Buffy was a big girl, and an experienced fighter, and could take care of herself. However as she turned back around to exit the room, her eyes fell on the nightstand, where earlier in the day she'd placed the small frame holding the picture of Madeline and Meredith Cross - it was missing. Realizing that Buffy had not gone out to slay filled Willow with dread, and she rushed back to the front door, grabbing her purse and digging her cell phone out of its depths. She dialled as she flew out the front door, "Giles? Is Spike still there? Good, tell him I'm coming to get him, he has to come to the cemetery with me, Buffy's missing."

~o~

Apprehensively, Buffy approached the freshly covered grave. The new, black dirt contrasting heavily with the pale, browning autumn grass. Stopping abruptly at the end of the long rectangle of earth, she shuddered slightly, before lowering herself to her knees. She stared a head, at the simple marble headstone, marked with only "Daniel Cross" then the dates of his birth and death. Her aunt had taken care of all the funeral arrangements, Buffy would have written more.

"Hi Dad..." she whispered softly. An embarrassed smile spread across her lips, "Actually, I guess you know by now that you're not really my dad..." she added tearfully. With a sigh, she looked down to the picture frame sitting in her lap, and ran her hand over the image sadly, "I... I didn't think it was fair that I kept this." picking up the frame she placed it gently on top of the dirt, "They're your girls, they belong with you."

She roughly wiped away a tear that spilled down her cheek, she didn't deserve to cry. "I'm sorry," she whispered hoarsely, "I didn't ask for this to happen, I didn't ask to be dropped into someone else's life, to put all their loved ones in danger... You didn't deserve this. You didn't deserve to become a casualty of my war. But you did. I wish that I could have helped you, I wish... I wish that I'd have come home just a few minutes earlier, that I... I don't even know...

"Thank you for being such a good father to me though, Madeline was lucky to have you in her life. I hope... I hope you're with her now... and Meredith too. I wish things could have been different."

"So do I." came a voice.

Buffy's head snapped up, and standing behind her father's tombstone was a woman with honey brown hair, the same woman who smiled up at Buffy from the small silver frame, "Mom?" she stammered.

"I'm not your mother." she spat tearfully, "and he's not your father. That's why I had to take him... his family needs him."

Disgust began to make Buffy's stomach churn, her fears had been confirmed. The one thing she had been praying hadn't caused Daniel's death was standing before her; this wasn't Meredith Cross, it was something much more sinister, "You... you made him do this to himself?"

Meredith smiled darkly, "He wanted to come with me, once I told him that you were an impostor."

Buffy rose from the ground, shaking her head, "This isn't happening..." she span quickly on her heel, and took a step back towards the cemetery exit, when she discovered Joyce Summers standing in front of her, an extremely disappointed look on her face, "Mom?" she murmured.

"I'm so ashamed of you Buffy, stealing a young girl's life... destroying an innocent family... I thought I raised you better than that." she scolded.

Buffy squeezed her eyes shut, and clapped her hands over her ears, "This isn't happening, you're not real!" she hissed.

"How dare you forget your real mother!" Joyce shouted as Buffy span away again.

She took a deep breath, she had to remain composed, if she fell apart now, she would be giving The First exactly what It wanted. Turning back towards Joyce Summers, she steeled her gaze, "You'll have to do better than that." she seethed, "I'm not playing your games anymore."

"Is that so, Buff?" a male voice replied.

Buffy felt her stomach lurch, and bile rose up in her throat. Standing before her, a gaping wound in his abdomen, blood oozing from a hole where his arm once was, dirty and beaten; was Xander. His eyepatch was missing, and Buffy found herself staring in horror at the dark cavern that once held his missing eye, "Oh God... Xander..." she whispered.

A twisted, ironic grin grew on his lips, "Well look at you! You die and you get a brand spanking new body! And me? What do I get?"

"Don't do this, please..." Buffy muttered, shaking her head, but unable to rip her gaze away from her friend's massacred form.

"I get buried in a ditch in the rainforest, forgotten."

Buffy heaved slightly as she remembered dragging Xander's body out of the cave, and digging a shallow grave for him with her bare hands, "I had no other choice..." she whispered softly, "We were in the middle of nowhere."

"It seems kinda like you like that excuse, don't you Buff? You never have a _choice_ in the matter, it's never your fault..."

Buffy felt her knees buckle, and she fell to the ground, "Shut up..."

"You try your best, but it's never enough, we still die." Xander continued, appearing behind her, looming over her shoulder menacingly.

"I never asked you to stay and fight, I never wanted this for you," she murmured on the verge of tears.

"No, you didn't. Just like you didn't ask all those girls if they wanted to be Slayers, just like you didn't ask Madeline if you could borrow her body; it always just _happens_."

"You don't mean this, Xander, I know you don't!" she begged as she spun around to face him.

"But I do. Every last word."

~o~

Willow rushed blindly through the cemetery towards where Daniel Cross had just been buried, with Spike hot on her heels. There was an energy in the cemetery that she didn't like, it sent shivers down her spine, and not in a good way. She couldn't believe Buffy would be careless enough to wander around at night by herself, especially since she was the ultimate target for all the recent attacks. She was so lost in her thoughts, and following only the source of the energy she was feeling, that Spike had to grab her by the arm and haul her back into the cover of the trees.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Pay attention Red!" he whispered, pointing towards the fresh grave.

It was then that she noticed Buffy, kneeling in the grass next to the grave, staring up at something neither one of them could see with the most devastated of expressions.

"What's she doing?" Willow whispered.

"I don't think she's doing anything, " Spike replied with a shudder, "I think somethin' is doin' somethin' to _her_." he remembered his encounter with The First quite vividly, he was sure to an outsider it would have looked something like this.

"What do we do?" Willow panicked. The First must be over the moon to have Buffy in its clutches, they couldn't let this happen.

"Well, I hate to say it, but how comfortable are you feelin' with that spell Pixie found?"

Willow frowned. She knew there was no other way they could try and get to Buffy without The First potentially turning on them, "I guess I could give it a shot..."

"Right then, I'm rootin' for you!" Spike encouraged her, as she closed her eyes, and he took a step back.

"Alethia, Goddess of Truth, hear my call..."

~o~

"You may as well just give in! The longer you hang on, the more people will die... first everyone you love, and then everyone else in this town. This poor, boring, perfect town. I wonder if any of these strange supernatural occurrences would have even taken place if you'd never come here... what do you think, Buff?" Xander taunted.

Buffy couldn't take much more of this. Somewhere deep inside, she knew the being in front of her wasn't really Xander, that he would never, no matter how much he hurt, say so many hateful things to her, but it was so unbearable to see him in such a state. The First was playing into her guilt over his death, and it was working. Still she knew that she would have to take It down with her. "I think I should kill you." she whimpered, tears beginning to run down her face.

Xander chuckled, "Silly girl, I'm already dead, I have you to thank for that." he answered, kneeling down in front of her.

Staring deeply into his eyes, she began to shake her head again, "Please, Xander, you don't have to do this..." she begged.

"But I do. I can't let you do this anymore... haven't you noticed how everywhere you go, vampires, demons, other ugly, evil things just seem to gravitate...? Maybe the Slayer isn't there to stop the forces of evil, maybe she's called to bring them together, to create chaos... it needs to stop."

"You're wrong!" Buffy cried.

"Am I? Think about it... Sunnydale, Braebrook... both perfectly normal and quiet towns until you show up."

"There's nothing normal about a town sitting on a Hellmouth..." she groaned.

"_Dormant_ Hellmouths. That is, until you swing through and get everyone riled up! Face it Buff, you bring death and devastation to everything you touch." Xander mocked.

"No..." she was barely hanging on at this point, his words were cutting deep. It didn't make sense for one human being to have seen so much death, to have seen so many people suffer.

"Yes. You should just end it. You should -" he stopped abruptly in the middle of his sentence, and a strange look crossed his features. He gasped, and and tried to disappear, but managed only to flicker away briefly before reappearing before Buffy, "No!" he growled.

Buffy watched him cautiously, but used his momentary confusion to rise to her feet.

He glared up at her, a hand clutching his chest, "Your Witch... she's good..." he grunted before looking back to the ground. Suddenly, he began to shrink, his hair began to grow longer, the colour paler, and when The First looked back up to Buffy, she found herself staring into the face of the thirty-five year old body she'd lost over a year ago. The old Buffy Summers grinned up at the new maliciously, "But I'm better." she chuckled, and her hand shot out, grabbing Buffy by the ankle and pulling her to the ground. Pinning Buffy to the ground, The First climbed on top of her, and began punching her repeatedly in the face.

Stunned by the sudden physical contact, it took Buffy a moment to realize that The First was in fact, able to fight her. When she finally regained her composure, her arm shot up, catching The First's fist just as she brought it down for another blow.

"I've been waiting a long time to do this." Buffy growled before throwing It off her violently, and jumping to her feet. The First scrambled to its feet, disoriented, after eons of being incorporeal. Buffy used the opportunity to rush It, landing a powerful high kick followed by a quick jab before It managed to find its footing. The First recovered more quickly this time, and returned the kick, which Buffy managed to only just block before she lost her balance.

"This isn't over." The First sneered, "You'll all regret this!" it growled before turning and retreating from the short battle.

Buffy watched The First shrink in the distance, panting heavily. She fell back to her knees, tears blurring her vision as she tried to catch her breath. Her stomach finally began to settle, and her mind cleared. She didn't understand what had just happened, but she was relieved that it had, It had gotten too close to winning this time. She was still kneeling in the grass, almost in a daze, when a shiver crawled up her spine.

"Buffy?" a voice called from behind her.

A voice she hadn't heard in months. Her heart fluttered, and she turned around slowly, almost unable to believe her ears.

~o~

Willow was almost giddy as she watched The First dash into the dark cover of the trees. "It worked!" she cheered, grabbing Spike by the shoulders and jumping up and down like an excited child, "I can't believe, it! It's been awhile since I've used any serious magic, I was worried I'd be rusty, but... oh man that felt good!"

"Yeah, yeah, congrats, get off me!" Spike grumbled, prying himself loose from Willow's grip. He tried to conceal the grin on his face, but it was proving rather difficult.

They turned back towards where Buffy was kneeling, ready to rush to her side, and make sure she was okay, when they noticed a figure walking towards her.

"Oh my God..." Willow whispered in shock.

"Is that who I think it is?" Spike muttered.

"It is! Oh this is great! Spike isn't it great!"

Spike smirked, shaking his head as Buffy turned towards the tall stranger, her eyes wide in surprise, "Bloody hell..." he chuckled, before throwing his arm casually around Willow's shoulders, "What d'you say we give them some privacy, eh Love?"

Willow nodded, the biggest smile still plastered on her face, as they turned around and headed back towards her car.

~o~

Buffy blinked a few times, she wasn't sure she should believe her eyes, but the warmth she felt spreading through her body convinced her otherwise. Despite how much she wanted to jump to her feet, and launch herself into his arms, shock kept her rooted to the ground.

"Buffy?" Angel repeated, stepping a bit closer, "Are you alright?"

She finally found the strength to rise to her feet, and he quickly closed the gap between them, cupping her cheek with his hand, and searching her face with his gentle chocolate brown eyes. She gazed up at him, almost as though she was afraid if she blinked he would disappear, she still couldn't even bring herself to utter his name. She raised her hand to clutch his, feeling like she needed more physical contact to assure herself that he was real. He brought his other hand up to run it gently through her hair as he pulled her closer to press his forehead to hers. Buffy shuddered a sigh, and finally closed her eyes, letting herself relax into his touch at long last. After what seemed like an eternity, Angel pulled back slightly, and Buffy opened her eyes, to discover him gazing at her with brightest smile she'd ever seen him wear. She felt tears well in her eyes again as she smiled back, she knew finally that he'd gotten the answer they'd both been praying for.

Upon seeing her tears, Angel drew Buffy into his arms. She wound her arms tightly around his waist, her head pressed against his chest, as he rested his chin lightly atop her head. "I missed you so much," he whispered.

A contented sigh escaped Buffy's lips, "Me too." she answered simply, as they remained entwined, the sorrowful surroundings of the cemetery, and the events of the past few months melting away as they held each other, neither one willing to let go after five months of separation.

She would be ready to fight, she had everyone she needed at her side.

~o~

**FINALLY! He's back! I promised you a reunion, and I delivered. Now there will be lots of B/A fluff to balance out all the other depressing stuff I write! ;)**

**Just a little note on what happened with The First in this chapter, I was always under the impression that The First wasn't a physical entity, however while I was still writing this a local channel started re-airing old Buffy episodes, and I managed to catch Amends (one of my favourites!), and realized that at a few points The First actually touched Angel... I don't know how physical It was in season seven, but I would've had to completely change the ending of my story if I went back and made The First a physical entity from the get-go, so I just left it alone... it's the world of fanfic, and I'm playing by my own rules! I'm sorry if it frustrates anyone :( I hope you'll keep reading anyway!**

**This is a pretty long chapter, and I was thinking of only posting one update this week... but what the hell! I think you all deserve some fluff!**


	52. Chapter 52: Love and War

**PLEASE READ: Completely fic unrelated, but just a fair warning; I've just found out I'll be moving in the next month, meaning I've got a lot of packing, errands, and a whole bunch of other stuff that will need doing. I'm also at some point going to have to get my internet disconnected, which means if my updates suddenly become less regular for the next little while, please don't worry and think I've abandoned the story. Real life might get in the way of my writing for a little bit, but I promise I'll update as often as I can!**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

* * *

_"Pull me out of the ocean  
Take me up in your arms again  
Cast away, with the love you send  
Such a strange education  
Leads me into your arms again  
Cast away, lost again"  
_- "A Strange Education" by The Cinematics

Chapter 52: Love and War

As Buffy slowly opened her eyes, it took her a moment before she remembered where she was. Still fully dressed in her clothes, she lay on top of the covers in a large, unfamiliar bed. A small throw blanket had been placed over her gently, and when her eyes finally drifted to her side, she discovered Angel lying next to her staring up at the ceiling. A small smile played on his lips, which caused Buffy to grin, she couldn't remember ever seeing him look so relaxed and content. Reaching out slowly, she squeezed his arm gently.

He turned to her, still smiling, "Hey."

"Hi." she answered.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing, I was just making sure you were real." she explained with a grin.

His smile grew wider, and he reached out to pull her closer. She went willingly, and settled into the crook of his arm as he placed a kiss on her temple. They lapsed back into silence almost immediately. In fact, they'd barely spoken to each other at all since leaving the cemetery the evening before. They'd walked all the way back to Angel's apartment arm in arm, neither one willing to let go of the other, without uttering a word. Once reaching the safety of the loft, as Buffy let down her guard, Angel could see the exhaustion written all over her face and suggested they lie down. Not having the energy to protest, Buffy agreed, and had fallen asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. Much to her relief, it was the first night in two months that she hadn't been plagued with nightmares of the temple fire, she'd woke actually feeling rested for once.

"I'm sorry," Angel whispered finally, cutting through the comfortable silence.

"For what?" Buffy asked, adjusting her position so she could look at him.

"For being away for so long," he answered, "For not being here when..." he trailed off as Buffy averted her eyes, a pained expression on her face.

"You don't need to apologize." she whispered.

"I do. With everything that's been happening, I should have been here for you." he brushed the hair out of her eyes, and she looked back towards him.

"You're here now though," she answered, trying to conceal the sadness in her voice, "That's all that matters."

Angel frowned, they may have spent a lot of time apart in recent years, but he still knew the less Buffy wanted to talk about a subject, the more it was actually eating her up inside, "Buffy, you don't have to always be strong in front of me, you know that."

She smiled sadly, "I'm okay, really. I mean, he wasn't even really my father..." she looked away from him again, and began fiddling with one of the buttons on the front of his shirt.

Angel placed his hand gently over hers, forcing her to stop, "That doesn't matter. What matters is what you remember... what you feel."

Sorrow filled Buffy's eyes once more, and she bit down on her lip to stop her tears, "All I feel is guilt. The First wouldn't have touched him if it wasn't for me... he'd still be alive. Same goes for all the Slayers that Travers had massacred."

Angel squeezed her hand comfortingly, "You can't hold yourself responsible for what Travers started. You gave those girls something special."

"I gave them a death sentence," Buffy replied morosely.

"No. You gave them guidance. You gave them something to fight for." Angel argued, "You didn't force a single one of them to fight with you, they all followed you willingly. Anyone who's ever fought alongside you has. You have a gift Buffy, you inspire people."

She couldn't help but smile at his words. Somehow she didn't think it was fair, outside it seemed the world she had spent so many years trying to protect was falling apart around her, yet finally lying there in Angel's arms, without the worry of any repercussions, she couldn't help but feel like everything would work out in the end. "I'm sorry," she sighed, "I always pictured this being a happy occasion, and I'm being all mopey."

"You have every right to mope right now," he answered, pulling her closer to him, "We have all the time in the world to celebrate."

"Unless Travers and The First manage to kill me,"

"Okay, you're allowed to mope, but no more doom and gloom." Angel teased.

Buffy grinned, "We're making jokes now are we?"

Finding it hard to restrain himself anymore, Angel rolled on top of her and captured her lips in a gentle kiss. Given the state of mind Buffy had been in when he'd found her in the cemetery the night before, he'd felt it would be best to be a gentleman, and simply offer her the shoulder to lean on that he knew she so desperately needed. Now that she was in his bed however, he found it was too hard not to finally give into one of the many things he'd been longing for.

They broke apart, both smiling contentedly, and as Buffy gazed up at the man she'd been in love with since she was sixteen years old, tears sprang to her eyes again. With an embarrassed giggle, she hastily wiped them away before stroking his cheek gently, "I'm so happy you're here." she whispered.

"So am I." he answered, brushing his nose against hers lightly.

"Are you sure I'm not still dreaming? I feel like this is too perfect to be real." she murmured against his lips.

"If this is a dream, never wake me up." Angel replied with a slight smile.

Buffy grinned as their lips met again, as far as she was concerned, the rest of the world ceased to exist at that moment, she finally had the only thing she'd ever really wanted. No one else mattered, not Giles, not Spike, not Faith, not Willow...

Willow.

Buffy pulled away with a frustrated sigh, and turned to look at the clock on the bedside table. It was after ten o'clock, Willow would definitely be up by now, and would definitely be worried by the fact that she never came home last night. "No..." she grumbled.

"What?" Angel asked.

"I should probably let Willow know I'm okay, I sort of took off without letting anyone know last night." she pushed herself up to a sitting position, and raked her hands through her hair, "Where's your phone? I left mine back at Will's."

Angel frowned up at her, "It's disconnected, I only got back last night."

Chewing her lip worriedly, she cast Angel a discouraged glance. He chuckled at her expression as he sat up, "Go. I'll be right here when you get back, it's the middle of the day after all."

"But-"

He cut her off with a kiss, "Go." he urged once he pulled away, "Don't leave your friends to worry about you. Not with everything that's happening right now."

With a disappointed grin, she leaped off the bed, "I'll be right back, I swear!" she called as she hurried towards the door and began to hastily tie her shoes. Angel rose from the bed, and crossed towards her as she stood up and straightened her rumpled clothes. Buffy felt her heart swell as she gazed up at him again, and pulled him towards her for another kiss. They broke apart with serene smiles on their faces.

"I love you," Buffy whispered, her hand still worked into his hair. It felt so good to finally say those words to him again.

"I love you," he answered, placing another gentle kiss on her lips.

Buffy backed away from him slowly, grappling for the doorknob behind her. She couldn't take her eyes off him, all she'd wanted to do was lie in bed with him all day, she hated that her plans had been ruined. Finally finding the doorknob, she pulled the door open. "I'll see you later."

Angel nodded, and gently shut the door behind her after she'd slipped outside. With a contented sigh, he turned and slid onto the couch. He was still smiling, after so many years of brooding, it felt strange to him, he wondered if his facial muscles would start hurting. He shook his head slightly at his bizarre thoughts, they didn't matter.

He finally had her back, after so many years of struggling to bury his feelings, of convincing himself she was better off without him.

It was good to be home.

~o~

Byron Travers scowled as he took another sip from his mug, he didn't know who at the motel had the nerve to call the foul motor oil he was drinking "instant coffee", but he was sure that their taste buds must be severely malformed. He flipped listlessly through the few television channels available in his room, finding nothing that piqued his interest, he shut it off, and tossed the remote carelessly on to the bedside table. The First hadn't visited him in weeks, and it infuriated him. He had been the one to call It forth through the poorly re-sealed Hellmouth, It wouldn't even be able to be wreaking the havoc It was currently wreaking if it wasn't for him. He deserved to be in on whatever It was planning. A knock at the door came as a welcome interrupted to his ruminations, and he rose to answer it. He was not however, prepared for who he came face to face with on the other side.

"Sweet Mother Mary!" he gasped as he recoiled from the open door.

Standing before him was a petite, thirty-year-old blonde woman, one who he had known for a fact was dead.

"Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" she spat as she stormed past him into the small room and flung herself onto the bed.

"Y-y-you are dead, Buffy Summers... you-"

"Can it, Byron, I'm not Buffy." she grumbled, her arms crossed sulkily across her chest.

He glared at her suspiciously, when realization hit him, "Why... no, _how_ did you knock on the door then?" he asked in complete puzzlement.

"Seems like I underestimated the Slayer's friends," she hissed, "The Witch trapped me in this form. I can't get out."

"Willow Rosenberg _trapped_ you? Goodness, she's much more powerful than I thought..." he mused.

"Yes, yes, it's all so impressive!" The First fumed.

Byron leaned against the dresser opposite the bed where The First sat, "Perhaps I can find a way to undo it." he offered.

"Really? And who are you going to get to perform the spell?"

Byron frowned, "What's our plan then?" he asked, "Clearly you will be unable to continue tormenting The Slayers as you planned..." he trailed off as The First glared daggers at him, It was clearly infuriated with no longer being intangible. It had been quite a blow to an entity as old and as powerful as The First Evil to be bound by a mere mortal, no matter what kind of magic they are able to wield.

"Call your silly assassins," she seethed, "We're going to war."

~o~

Later that evening, Buffy and Angel strolled into the bookstore hand in hand. After going back to Willow's and apologizing profusely, only to discover Willow had already known she was with Angel, she was informed that Giles wanted everyone at the bookstore that evening to brainstorm. It seemed that the spell Willow had cast the night before had given them a bit of an advantage in what was previously a dire situation, and he felt it was time they came up with a real plan.

It was mere seconds after they'd stepped through the door, that Angel was nearly toppled over by Faith launching herself into his arms with an almost maniacal giggle. "I knew you'd make it back in one piece!" she pulled away, and gave Angel a friendly punch in the arm, "Look at you, all smiling and shit..." she observed with a cheeky wink, "I guess you two kissed and made up already?"

"Faith..." Buffy muttered under her breath.

"Angel! Welcome back, buddy!" Olly cheered from the table, "So when can we start training again? Spike's the worst teacher ever."

"It's not my fault you just suck." Spike grumbled from his seat next to Olly, as he swung his legs up onto the tabletop.

"Olly, perhaps we should give Angel a bit of time to settle in again before we start making demands, hmm?" Giles chided, he turned back to Buffy and Angel, "It's good to have you back Angel," he greeted, shaking Angel's hand with a knowing smirk on his face that he hoped Buffy hadn't noticed.

"It's good to be back, Giles." Angel answered simply.

"Willow, already informed us of what happened in the cemetery last night, are you feeling alright Buffy?" Giles asked, turning his attention towards her.

"Yeah. I feel fine. It was nice to finally deck that stupid thing in the face." she answered as she crossed towards the table to take a seat, Angel followed but instead simply leaned against the back of Buffy's chair, almost as though he didn't want to be separated from her.

As they approached the table, Willow rose from her seat, smiling nervously, "Angel," she greeted quietly.

"Willow," he answered.

She stepped forward, and awkwardly threw her arms around his neck. Despite how long they'd known each other, it occurred to her that they rarely had any physical contact. She wondered how it would feel now that Angel was back, seeing as he'd been absent for so long, however once he'd stepped into the bookstore alongside Buffy, Willow could once again see the confident and driven warrior she knew her friend to be, instead of the despairing and defeated young girl she'd become during the course of the past few weeks events. She knew instantly that Angel's return was the one thing they needed to renew their determination. "I'm glad you're back!" she said as she released him.

"Thanks..." he answered, with a sheepish grin.

"If you think I'm huggin' you, you're off your bleedin' rocker." Spike chimed in from the other side of the table. Buffy cast him an exasperated glance, "But... I'm glad to see those Gypsies didn't turn you into a toad, or something of the like..."

"It's good to see you too Spike," Angel sighed with a slight shake of his head.

Buffy grinned, and squeezed Angel's hand, he looked uncomfortable about all the attention, "So, Giles, what's this little meeting all about?" she asked, trying to divert everyone's attention.

"Um, yes, well," Giles stammered, "I thought it would be best to touch base with everyone, see if they've noticed anymore strange occurrences in the past day. If the spell Willow cast worked effectively, The First's control over the rest of the town should have been broken.

"I kept an eye on the news all day," Lily spoke up, "there was nothing out of the ordinary, it was like everything went back to normal overnight."

"Yes? Good... that's good..." Giles muttered, distracted by his thoughts.

"Not so good?" Olly asked, puzzled by Giles' reaction, "I thought the fact that we're not going to burn ourselves to the ground was a good thing!"

"It is, but it leaves us with another dilemma." Giles continued.

"What's that?"

"How to get rid of The First." Willow interjected.

"Precisely." Giles agreed, "From re-reading the incantation, it would seem to me, if we attempt to destroy the form that It's trapped in, we'll only succeed in releasing it."

"Which means we'll have to come up with a plan to make sure It can't get to Buffy or Faith until we're sure that Travers has given up." Angel added.

Giles nodded, "It won't be easy, The First can now pass through town like any other civilian."

"I thought Willow said It turned into Buffy before running away like a wussy? I mean, we'd notice if there's two Buffy's running around town, wouldn't we?" Olly asked.

"Well, not really..." Willow began uneasily.

"Because The First is using my old body... the one that was destroyed in the fire." Buffy explained, angrily picking at the arm of her chair.

"Why would It do that?" Lily asked.

"Easy, not only so It can torment me, but It can match my strength too." Buffy replied, "It's not going to go down without a fight, and It's gonna do everything It can to make sure It takes me with It."

"Well, we won't let it." said Faith, cracking her knuckles, "Cause we're two against one."

"Yeah, having two Slayers on your side is really useful when you can't kill anything." Spike scoffed, "I think our best bet would be to track down Travers. He hasn't managed to kill Faith yet, and there have been next to no other Slayer's reported dead since they all went into hidin'. My guess is that he's not going to leave town while he's still waitin' to be able to strip Buffy of her powers." he suggested.

"That's the first intelligent thing I've heard you say in awhile." Buffy teased.

"I'd come up with a witty retort, Pet, but I missed your attitude too much." Spike drawled.

"Spike, Angel just got back in town, don't give him a reason to kick your ass already." Faith chuckled.

The two vampires ignored her jab, and the conversation continued.

"I'll get online, see if maybe he's left a paper trail," Willow offered.

"What about those demon assassins?" Lily questioned, "If The First's plans fell through, and Travers is still in town, don't you think it's only a matter of time before at least one of them shows up again?"

"Lily's got a point," Buffy agreed, "Travers definitely has it in for us, if The First can't take us down, he's gonna find something else that can."

"I'll go back to researching them, maybe I can find a spell or something that can reverse however they're called." Lily offered.

"Yes, perhaps we should all work on that for now. Buffy, Angel, Faith, Spike, since you're four now, I would suggest patrolling in pairs. You'll cover more ground, of course, and if the Cruoris does reappear perhaps it will retreat as it did the last time it was outnumbered." Giles suggested.

"You really think that's a good idea G-man? I mean, you know B and Angel are just going to get... _distracted_." Faith retorted.

"Faith!" Buffy groaned.

"We have more self-control than that," Angel sighed.

"Uh huh, sure you do!" Spike snorted

Giles groaned, removing his glasses to massage the bridge of his nose. If he had known this meeting was going to turn into such a circus, he would have never called it. Actually, he should have known, things never really run smoothly when Faith and Spike are involved, even when they're on their best behaviour.

"Hey, guys, maybe we should get to that research!" Willow commanded, the professor side of her making a brief appearance.

Noting her serious tone, the others all began to busy themselves with something. Buffy crossed the room to speak with Giles, and Angel made his way up the stairs to the long shelves of books that extended to the back of the shop. Despite the months he'd spent at the Council headquarters, with every source of information imaginable at his fingertips, it felt good to him to be back in the small bookstore, fighting the fight amongst familiar faces. Just as he pulled a book off the shelf, he was interrupted.

"Angel?" came a quiet voice from just behind him. He turned to find Lily standing there, two large volumes clutched in her tiny arms.

"Hi Lily,"

"Hi..." she answered awkwardly. Despite her being one of Buffy's closest friends, Angel never really had the opportunity to speak with her. "I, um, I just wanted to say that I'm really glad you're back..." she stammered.

"Thank you." Angel answered, finding it somewhat endearing that she felt nervous around him.

"I mean, Buffy was a real mess, with everything that was happening with the Slayers, and then her Father..." she trailed off, visibly saddened at the mention of Daniel Cross' tragic passing, "It was bad. But with you here... she kind of seems like herself again."

Angel smiled, after years of people scolding him for his relationship with Buffy, it was strange to have some encouragement, especially from someone who was so close to her. "It means a lot to hear that, thank you."

Lily smiled gratefully, and they both went back to scanning the long row of shelves. She pulled down a large, unmarked, leather book and balancing it on top of the other two books already in her hands, flipped it open. She frowned as she noticed the complex rows of characters etched across the pages, "Oh..."

Angel glanced at the open page, "It's Hanzi," he said, holding the book he'd just picked off the shelf out towards her, the title down the spine clearly written in Latin, "Trade?"

She beamed, before closing the large book and pushing it towards him. He took it, and placed the other one on the top of her stack. She spun around to head back to the table at the front of the store, then paused and turned back towards him, "I really hope you and Buffy work everything out this time." she said, her cheeks turning pink as she hurried away.

Angel watched her as she set her books down on the table, and settled back into her seat next to Olly, who put an arm around her shoulder. He smiled, and turned his attention back to Buffy, who still stood talking with Giles. She didn't look anything like the innocent fifteen year old girl he'd seen sitting on her high school steps twenty years ago, and yet, she was still every bit the same caring and fiery girl he'd fallen in love with despite everything she'd been through.

"Me too," he whispered to Lily, though he knew she couldn't hear him. There were a lot of things about their future that they would have to work out, and he knew with The First breathing down her neck, they were the last things on Buffy's mind right now, but he was determined to make sure nothing would take her away from him again.

This time it was forever, and he meant it.

~o~

**Okay, I'm bad, I teased you with Buffy and Angel in bed and it went nowhere... I'm taking a bit of a different direction from most other people who just have them rip each other's clothes off first chance they get. One, because I don't think I could write anything remotely smutty without giggling the whole way through. Two, because one of the reasons I remained a loyal B/A fan despite them going their separate ways was because their connection went beyond the physical, and I feel like it would cheapen their relationship and all their struggles if I just had them hump like bunnies for the rest of this story.  
That being said, if you want to read about them humping like bunnies, I'm sure I could suggest a few great lemon-y stories to you. Haha.**

**Until next week! **


	53. Chapter 53: To Those Who Wait

**So I think I can still manage to make one chapter update a week despite all the crazy packing I have to do. I got a lot more done yesterday than I thought I would, and I've decided I deserve to take it easy today! I'm going to take a little time now to edit as many chapters as I can, and hopefully it'll be enough that I can make some quick updates over the next month, and keep you all happy until I have to take a tiny break to unpack and get everything set up in my new place.**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

* * *

_"Time will see us realign  
Diamonds rain across the sky  
shower me into the same realm "_

_~o~_

Chapter 53: To Those Who Wait

"What do you mean you haven't slept with him yet?" Faith nearly shouted.

"Shhhh!" Buffy hissed, before burying her face in her hands.

"Relax, B, we're the only ones in here."

They sat around the table in the bookstore, along with Willow, who was currently shaking her head at Faith's explosion, and Lily who was giggling behind her hand. The sun had just begun to set, and Faith and Buffy were waiting for Spike and Angel to meet them for patrol. Willow was using the quiet of the bookstore to correct a giant stack of essays, and Lily was waiting for Olly to finish class.

"He's only been back in town a week, what's the big deal?" Buffy sighed.

"The _big deal_ is that it's you and Angel!" Faith answered, "I figured once you two got the green light you'd be instantly clawing each others clothes off."

"Thanks for the visual, Faith..." Buffy grumbled.

She smirked, and leaned across the table towards Buffy, "It's driving you crazy isn't it?"

"Maybe we just decided to take things slow, okay? Not everything is about 'clawing each others clothes off'."

"Well, not that I want to think about you and Angel, clawing..." Willow began slowly, "But, it's been what? Eighteen years since you two..." she trailed off as Buffy's expression became one of sheer bewilderment, "I just mean that I would have thought you two would be... um... excited, that you could... without Angel getting all evilish." she babbled.

"Look, we're just taking time to catch up first, that's all." Buffy argued.

"I don't know, Buffy, I mean even Olly and I-"

"Lil, I love you, and I love Olly, but I don't ever, ever want to think of you two doing _that_."

Lily grinned bashfully as her cheeks slowly became a rosy pink.

"Three against one B..." Faith chuckled.

Buffy sighed heavily, and leaned back in her chair, "Alright, maybe I'm just kind of nervous..." she admitted.

"Nervous? Oh, Buffy, you don't have to be nervous, it's _Angel_." Willow said soothingly.

"That's exactly why I'm nervous! I mean, it's like you said, it's been eighteen years! Maybe I just built it up inside my head, and it'll really just be a big disappointment." Buffy huffed.

"B, that man's got two-hundred-plus years experience in the sack... I hardly think it'll be a disappointment." Faith smirked.

Lily's eyes nearly bulged out of her head.

"For goodness sakes, Ladies, I can hear everything you're saying!" came a clipped voice from behind them. They all looked up to the doorway of Giles' office, and discovered him leaning in the door frame with a rather frazzled expression on his face.

Faith immediately erupted into a fit of laughter, while Buffy's face turned a dark shade of crimson. Lily and Willow simply smirked at each other.

"Sorry Giles," Buffy apologized, barely able to look him in the eye.

Before Buffy had to wallow in her embarrassment for too long, the door swung open, and Angel walked in accompanied by Spike.

"Oh thank God!" Buffy muttered, and slid quickly out of her chair. As she crossed the room towards him, Angel had a huge grin on his face, causing her to forget the embarrassing moment that had just occurred, and smile back at him.

"Hi," she greeted him.

"Hi," he answered, leaning down to greet her with a kiss.

"Where's my kiss hello?" Spike teased with a mock pout.

"You can kiss this," Faith answered, slapping herself on the backside as she sauntered past the trio and out the door.

"Don't tempt me, Ducks." Spike chuckled as he followed after her.

"Good Lord..." Buffy heard Giles groan from behind her, "Be careful tonight,"

"We will Giles," she called behind her, then after waving to Willow and Lily, she took Angel's hand as they stepped out into the night. "So, where are we off to tonight?" she asked.

"The industrial park." Angel answered.

"Well, that's hardly romantic." she pouted.

"Spike made me flip a coin."

Buffy giggled as an image of Angel and Spike bickering as they walked to the bookshop, coin in hand, flashed through her head.

"What?" Angel asked.

"Nothing," she answered, pulling him down a nearby alley that cut through to the parking lot of one of the many office buildings and factories at the edge of downtown. She listened intently for any sound of a scuffle, but was met with only silence. Braebrook had been mysteriously quiet since Buffy had last encountered The First in the cemetery, and she didn't like it. "It's been too quiet lately," she sighed.

"I know... The First is probably re-grouping." Angel agreed.

"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about." she grumbled, as they crossed through the parking lot and passed through another small alley that led to a back road that was used by the companies for deliveries and garbage pick-up. The vampires of Braebrook generally used the roads like this one to sneak back into the vacant factories they used as nests after an evening of hunting, but tonight there was not a bloodsucker in sight.

"At least if It reappears, you can fight It this time." he offered.

"Hmm, unfortunately not all my problems can be solved by my fists."

He gave her hand a small, reassuring squeeze, "I won't let anything happen to you."

Buffy turned to face him, and found herself grinning up at him like a fool once again; something she'd decided she'd been doing far too much of since he'd stepped back into her life. It seemed however, that Angel didn't really mind, as he was gazing back at Buffy with an equally foolish grin. She suddenly found herself wondering why she'd complained about having to patrol the industrial park, when she was with Angel, their surroundings never seemed to matter. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, as Buffy reached herself up on her tiptoes and wound her arms around his neck.

"What was it you were telling Faith about our self-control?" Buffy whispered.

"Hmm?" Angel murmured, "I think after eighteen years we don't need to prove ourselves to anyone anymore."

Biting her lip, Buffy glanced left, then right, as she scanned the silent road, "Coasts' all clear anyway." she breathed as their lips met tenderly.

It was then, while the couple was distracted, that a shadowy figure rushed across the small back road and down a narrow alley between two of the abandoned buildings. Rounding the corner to the front entrance, it climbed through a hole in the boarded up front door, and disappeared into the darkness.

This was going to be too easy.

~o~

Callum yawned in boredom, as he fell back onto the beaten-up, overstuffed couch they'd pulled out of the trash and dragged into the warehouse months prior. With a low growl, he began to pick at the stuffing poking out of one of its arms. Things had been boring in Braebrook since the spontaneous crime-spree had ended. The chaos had been perfect for the vampire community, with everything else that was going on, no one really paid any attention to all the people that had mysteriously gone missing. They had finally been able to hunt freely; it was like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Now that things had settled down again, coupled with the fact that the Slayer seemed to have more back-up than usual, it was putting a cramp in their style.

A young female vampire that had been perched on the opposite arm of the couch, picking at her nail polish, snorted at Callum as he settled onto the dingy sofa, before getting up and stalking away angrily. After Dustin had foolishly gotten himself ripped to pieces by that flying abomination the summer before, Callum had hungrily stepped into a leader position among the vampires of Braebrook, and things had been going well for him. There had been a crackling energy in the air, something big was about to happen, he kept telling everyone, and when the town had started going to the dogs, he became smug, thinking he'd been right. Merely a week later, however, it was almost like it had never happened at all, and his reputation had taken a hit. Glowering all by himself, while the rest of the clan avoided him, he wondered how long it would be before they overthrew him.

It was then that he heard the sound of someone walking on the catwalk above. Normally, a sound that wouldn't phase him, in the evening vampires were always coming and going, but there was something about the energy of this person that caught his attention. This was no vampire, it was something else. He wasn't the only one who had noticed the new presence, the other vampires had all grown very still, and had turned to the rickety metal staircase, where a petite blonde woman slowly and self-assuredly made her way down. Callum rose, and narrowed his eyes towards her, there was something about her that put him on edge. She wasn't a vampire, or a demon, yet she radiated pure evil.

"Hello boys and girls." she greeted with a smirk, as she reached the bottom step, and leaned casually on the handrail.

Callum felt his face morph as he stepped in front of his minions. It had been completely subconscious, he felt that threatened by this mystery woman, "Who are you?" he growled. The other vampires drew closer to him, ready to pounce on the intruder, if need be.

"Who am I?" she chuckled. She was completely unphased by the veritable army of vampires standing before her, it was as though she knew they were secretly all intimidated of her, "I, am your ticket to freedom."

Callum glared at her again, "Freedom?" he chuckled, "what makes you think we don't have freedom?"

She hopped off the last step, and began to saunter towards him. He felt the other vampires take a step backwards as she neared, there was something powerful about her, something that put them all on edge. "The fact that you're all moping about in the basement of a warehouse on a beautiful night like this." she replied, smiling sweetly.

A quiet, almost panicked snarl came from somewhere in the crowd behind Callum, and it made her laugh, "You really don't have to be scared of me, it wouldn't do me any good to kill you." she sighed, "I know the Slayer's been making life hard on you all... and now she's got a whole bunch of pesky humans to help her out... not to mention _two_ of your own... it must really be driving you all mad."

A whisper of agreement washed through the crowd behind him.

"I'm here... to help you get rid of her." she explained.

Callum chortled, "What would you want to get rid of the Slayer for?"

"Let's just say she's been a thorn in my side for far too long now." she hissed, her eyes became dark and angry, they looked almost black with rage. "If you all work with me, I promise you, when we're done with the Slayer and her little band of do-gooders, the streets of Braebrook will flow with blood."

Silence had fallen over the vampires once more, this time not in fear, but in awe of this strange being in front of them. Callum felt a wicked grin spread across his face, he didn't know how she did it, but she'd won them all over. She knew it too, as she surveyed the room, and saw all the vampire's eyes glowing yellow with bloodlust. "I guess it's settled then," she began, "As of now: the Slayers days are numbered."

A loud cheer erupted from the crowd, and Callum smiled, maybe he wouldn't have to worry about a mutiny after all.

_"When the coffin shakes  
And the needle breaks  
Come  
Run away with me, come on you'll see "  
_- "Diamond Eyes" by the Deftones

~o~

**I know you're all chomping at the bit for me to make Buffy and Angel just jump each others bones, but I'm gonna play with a different angle for a little bit... one, because I want to let them have some more of those happy, fluffy, new relationship moments that they haven't been able to have in so long, and two, because I really, really wanted to write this little girl talk moment at the beginning of the chapter! It was time for some comedy after all the depressing stuff I've been writing.**

**Callum isn't really going to play a very big role, I just thought the part would be less confusing if I threw in a name for at least one of the vampires.**

**Sorry for the short update, it's going to be this way until I'm done moving and all settled in unfortunately. However, there are only 9 more chapters left, so I figure this way it lasts longer!**

**Until next week (hopefully)! **


	54. Chapter 54: Luck Has Nothing

**Yay it's fixed! I couldn't log in all morning, and I was starting to get angry that I couldn't update! On the upside, I didn't have anything to distract myself, so I finished filing my taxes, haha.**

**So this week's chapter is pretty short, I'm sorry! I would post two but chapter 55 is pretty long, and I'm sure is going to require a bit more time to edit, and I just have too much stuff to do! Once my life has settled down again I'll go back to my old ways, and maybe even treat you all to the first chapter of a new fic I've been working on!**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

* * *

"_Rather die in your arms, than die lonesome  
__Rather die hard, than die hollow  
__The higher that I climb  
__the deeper I fall down  
__I'm running out of time  
__So let's dance while we're waiting"  
__- _"Love out of Lust" by Lykke Li

Chapter 54: Luck Has Nothing To Do With It

Faith and Spike strolled casually towards the bookstore after a disappointing evening of patrolling the cemetery. If the complete lack of vampire activity held up much longer, Faith thought she might start ripping out her hair in frustration. How was it possible that Braebrook could go from teetering on the edge of destruction, to a veritable ghost town? She was in need of a good fight, she needed to expel some energy, and fast. She shot a sideways glance to Spike, and wondered if he'd be willing to just let her wail on him... judging by the look on his face, she could already guess the answer would be 'are you out of your bleedin' mind?' or something along those lines. Instead of getting all riled up like her, it looked as though Spike had just gotten grumpy and sullen. He trudged alongside her, his shoulders slumped and his hands shoved deeply into the pockets of his leather jacket as he kicked at the pavement.

"The calm before the storm." she sighed.

"What's that?" Spike asked, looking up from the pebble he'd been concentrating on kicking down the sidewalk.

"This. The quiet. It's leading up to something, and I'm not sure we're going to like it."

"Oh, we're definitely not going to like it, you don't have to wonder about that, Love." Spike chuckled.

Faith shot him a dirty look, "No need to get cocky, buster."

"This isn't cockiness, Pet, I'm just saying... this is like the part in those scary movies where someone says 'it's quiet, too quiet,' and then-"

Their conversation was interrupted by the pounding of footsteps on the pavement, and suddenly someone checked Faith from behind, sending her flying to the ground. She quickly jumped back up to her feet, but her assailant had already gotten the upper hand, and his fist connected powerfully with her jaw, knocking her backwards.

It was a vampire. He skittishly backed away from the injured Slayer and Spike, "Your time has come, Slayer!" he shouted, his yellow eyes glowing with a mix of apprehension and adrenaline, "The end is nigh!" and he took off running at full speed down the street.

"Well that was a cheap shot!" Spike called after him, "Didn't anyone ever teach you not to hit a lady?" he knelt down next to Faith, who sat stunned on the sidewalk, her hand cupping her jaw, "Are you alright?"

Faith watched the vampire disappear in the distance her eyes burning with fury and disbelief, "What the hell?"

~o~

Buffy and Angel exited the movie theatre hand in hand. Due to the complete lack of demonic activity, they'd decided along with Spike and Faith to alternate nights patrolling. Their reasoning had been to conserve their strength for when the big battle hit, but secretly, Buffy had just wanted to be able to spend some quality time with Angel, without the possibility of being interrupted by vampires or other creepy crawly nasty things.

An amused smile played on Buffy's lips, and she glanced up at Angel, "Do you think it'll ever stop feeling weird to do non-slaying related things together?" she asked.

Angel chuckled slightly, "Well, I hope so."

Buffy sighed happily and rested her head against his arm as they continued down the street in comfortable silence. She definitely wouldn't mind getting used to this. After all the years they fought to save the world, they deserved a break every now and then. Besides, with school on top of all the patrolling and researching, they'd barely got to spend any time together since Angel had come back from Europe. She decided if they managed to stop The First this time, she would definitely have to make it up to him.

"Do you have an early class tomorrow?" Angel's voice cut through her reverie.

"Nope. In fact, tomorrow I have no class." she frowned, "As in the learning-type class... I still have _class_, because I'm not a..." she looked up at Angel, his eyes twinkling at her in amusement, "I'm rambling, and you knew what I meant."

"But you're cute when you ramble." he replied with a grin.

Buffy blushed, "Anyway, why do you ask?"

"Um, I was thinking you could come over for a bit... or longer, maybe."

"Angel, we've known each other for how long? You don't have to be embarrassed about asking me to stay the night," she replied confidently, however, the burning of her cheeks made her feel otherwise.

They stopped at the corner of the main street, one way leading back to Angel's loft, the other back to Willow's.

"So will you?" he asked softly. He ran his hand lightly up Buffy's arm, sending shivers down her spine.

She gazed up at him, and the expression of longing she found on his face only made her cheeks grow hotter. Feeling too flushed to speak, she simply nodded, as Angel closed the small gap between them, leaned down to kiss her gently. As it intensified, Buffy pressed her body closer into his, and wound her hands into his hair. They didn't break apart until Buffy thought she would burst if she didn't take a breath. With a heavy sigh, she pulled away from Angel, and licked her swollen lips as she began to dig around in her purse. "I should, um, call Willow," she panted. She looked back up to Angel, and only became more flustered as she gazed into his desire-filled eyes, "Just so she doesn't wig out, think we went M.I.A..." she muttered.

"Yeah, sure." Angel answered, running a hand through Buffy's hair. She momentarily forgot what she was doing, as his hand brushed gently over her shoulder. Snapping out of it, she pulled her cell phone out of the bottom of her purse, and looked at the screen.

"Five missed calls, don't I feel popular." she quipped, but her mouth quickly tugged into a frown as she read the number, "All from Giles," she sighed, tossing her phone back into her purse, "It looks like we're going to have to take a detour to the bookstore."

To say Angel looked disappointed would have been an understatement, however he simply took Buffy's hand and they began to walk quickly in the direction of Giles', "I hope everything's alright."

~o~

As the couple entered the bookstore, it became clear why Giles had been trying to reach Buffy so frantically. Faith sat at the table, an ice pack pressed against a giant purple welt on her jaw. With a sour expression on her face, her tongue darted around in her mouth, "The son of a bitch knocked one of my teeth lose!" she fumed.

"Faith! What happened?" Buffy exclaimed as she rushed to the other Slayer's side.

"Some jackass vampire jumped me on the street." she mumbled, evidently embarrassed that there wasn't a better story to explain her injury.

"Came outta nowhere." added Spike, who was perched on the edge of the table next to Faith's chair.

"Really Giles?" Buffy sighed, "You call me five times for this? I mean, yes, I care for Faith's well-being and all, but she's a big girl, it seems like she's got everything under control." she glanced behind her where Angel stood, and couldn't help feeling a little frustrated.

"Yes, I'm well aware that Faith doesn't need you to mother her, I'm not so much concerned with her well-being – that came out wrong, I apologize," Giles rambled, turning to Faith with an apologetic look on his face.

The corner of Faith's mouth twitched in an attempt to smirk, but she instantly winced, and readjusted the ice pack on her jaw, "No harm, no foul, Giles."

"Erm, anyway, what I meant to say is that it was what the vampire said to Faith that alarmed me enough to attempt to reach you five times."

Buffy's brow furrowed.

"What did he say?" Angel asked, his hand instinctively gripping Buffy's shoulder, and pulling her protectively to his side. Buffy felt a tiny smile begin to spread across her lips as her heart began to flutter, but she quickly chided herself for letting her thoughts get derailed so easily.

"He said my time had come." Faith answered, trying her best to move her jaw as little as possible as she spoke.

"And that 'the end was nigh'," Spike added, "What kind of pompous git says 'nigh' these days?"

"What kind of pompous git says 'pompous git'?" Faith snickered.

"You want me to even out that bruise for you, Love? The other side of your face isn't purple yet."

"Funny. Don't forget that my fists still work, Spikey."

"For goodness sakes you two, can you bicker when we're finished here?" Giles interrupted with an exasperated sigh.

Buffy cocked an eyebrow as she noticed Faith and Spike smirking at each other in amusement before turning back to Giles, "You think The First has something to do with this." she stated much more seriously.

"The thought crossed my mind, yes." he sighed, removing his glasses to massage his temple.

"You think It's trying to rile up the demon community." Angel stated, seeming to be on the same wavelength as Giles.

"Precisely. If It can no longer shape-shift, or influence any of the citizens of Braebrook, perhaps It's using It's powers of persuasion to unite the vampire and demon communities." Giles explained.

"It's looking for a way to take us down." Faith said.

Buffy chewed her lip anxiously, "We need to find out what they're planning and how long we have to stop it." she moved away from Angel's side and began to pace in frustration.

Angel watched her nervously, it seemed that their team had been dealt blow after blow recently. She was holding up well enough since he came back, but he wondered how much more she could take before she finally crumbled. He thought back to what the Gypsy Elder had told him; Buffy needed to survive this, and he would make sure of it, no matter the cost. "How's Willow doing with tracking down Travers?" he asked.

"Nothing yet," Giles answered in a defeated tone.

"The town's small enough, something'll have to turn up eventually." Spike offered.

"Yes, of course." Giles agreed, as he glanced at his watch, "It's getting rather late, perhaps we should continue this discussion with everyone tomorrow?"

The others nodded, and Spike hopped off the table to help Faith to her feet, "Well, I hope you two enjoyed your date," he said to Buffy and Angel with a wink, "It looks like we're back on nightly patrols again."

Buffy glanced up to Angel, her disappointment was mirrored on his face, and he smiled at her sympathetically.

It looked like their luck wasn't about to change anytime soon.

~o~

**Please be patient with me, haha, I just have too much fun writing about Buffy and Angel dancing around each other, it's half the fun of their relationship!**

**Next week's chapter is much longer, and has lots of action! Bear with me and my hectic life!**

**Until then! :)**


	55. Chapter 55: In Good Hands

**So my plans to get some packing done this weekend were thwarted by an evil flu virus. Who gets the flu in April? Seriously. Now that my fever finally broke, I'm freezing and all my joints ache... I guess this is a preview for how I'm going to feel when I'm an old lady, haha. Nevertheless I have a chapter for you lovely people! Thankfully I proofread it earlier in the week when my head wasn't hurting as much! **

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

* * *

_"There's a silent charge_  
_In a coil of wire  
When the currents pass right through it.  
We're coupled lines in lightning strikes,  
We jump like birds on a vine.  
We're the magnets caught in a metal heart  
Where the blood is pumping through it  
When the needle spins, it sings,  
'Feels like we're in love...'"  
- _"Magnets Caught In A Metal Heart" by Thursday

Chapter 55: In Good Hands

Lily sat Indian-style atop Olly's bed, a large spell book open in front of her, Olly stood in the corner, working the punching bag he'd saved up to buy after Angel had agreed to teach him how to fight. He had to practice on something, right? He glanced over at his girlfriend, her brow creased in concentration as her eyes scanned the page. Taking a deep breath, she straightened and closed her eyes. Opening them again a few moments later, she held out her hands, cupped them in front of her, and whispered something in what Olly could only assume was Latin, maybe some other dead language. An almost imperceptible spark crackled between Lily's hands, then immediately went out. Drooping in disappointment, her hands fell back into her lap, and she frowned back down at the page.

Olly threw down his boxing gloves, and grabbed a towel off the back of his desk chair, "What are you doing?" he asked as he crossed the room towards her.

"Nothing apparently!" she pouted, "Willow makes this stuff look so easy..."

Olly flopped down on the bed next to her, and rubbed her back, "Willow's been doing this stuff for a long time, just keep practising, you'll get the hang of it." he encouraged.

"But we don't have a long time!" she grumbled, "There's an apocalypse coming! And I have a plan! But I can't make it work!"

"Why don't you get Willow to do it for you?" Olly suggested.

"Because she's so busy as it is! I mean she has a real job, plus she's helping Giles with all his research, and helping me with all my spells... I mean it's not fair if she has no time left over for herself!" Lily explained, "Plus, what good does it do to study witchcraft if you just get another witch to cast all your spells for you?" she added with a bit more attitude.

"Touché, milady," Olly smirked, "Maybe you just need to take a break."

"Really?" Lily giggled, turning to place a kiss on Olly's lips.

"Mmhm." Olly answered with a devilish grin.

"I can't," she sighed. Olly pouted at her, "In fact, I think I might need you to play guinea pig again..." she winced.

Olly frowned and slid off the bed, "Nuh-uh! Last time it took you two hours to conjure away those scales!" he exclaimed, rubbing his arm.

"There won't be any scales this time! I promise!" she begged, "It's a really easy spell, I just want to make sure it does what I need it to!"

With a sulky frown Olly watched Lily as she knelt on the bed, her hands clasped together under her chin as though she were praying, and her eyes wide, pleading. He sighed, since they'd started dating she'd caught on to the fact that he could never say no to her. "Alright, but if you give me a tail, or turn me into a toad or something, you're not allowed to break up with me cause I'm gross!"

Beaming, Lily leaped off the bed and threw her arms around his neck, "Thank you! Thank you! And I promise no tails!"

"What about amphibians?" Olly asked wearily.

"No amphibians." Lily swore, "Just stand right here." she instructed him, moving him to the middle of the room. She backed away from him and closed her eyes.

"Why can't you just go back to levitating ice cream? That was safe for both of us..." Olly muttered.

"Shhhh!" she scolded, peering at him through one opened eye.

"Sorry," he grumbled.

She raised her hand, and pointed at Olly, he squeezed his eyes shut tightly, and began to pray that he wouldn't end up spliced in two, or splattered all over his own room, "Artemis, luna dea, iacio super is vir eternus nox noctis, quod contego him ex severus lux lucis" she chanted.

A brief flash blinded them, and Olly dropped to the ground, his arms over his head. Lily smiled as she opened her eyes, and discovered a translucent glowing bubble encased Olly. "It worked!" she giggled.

Olly peered up at her from between his arms, he didn't feel any different. He sat up and inspected himself, ten fingers, ten toes, two arms, two legs... "What worked?" he asked, looking around the room. She grabbed a pillow off his bed and threw it at him, he caught it, and raised an eyebrow at her, "Oh, scary, a big fluffly pillow monster?" he teased, tossing it back.

She smirked at him, before pointing her finger towards him a second time, "Ignis!" she commanded, and a ribbon of fire arced from her fingertip towards Olly. He yelped, and attempted to scramble away from the flame, but he was not fast enough. Much to his surprise however, the fire hit an invisible barrier around him, and was extinguished with a puff of smoke.

"Whoa... what was that?" he murmured.

"I made a forcefield!" Lily exclaimed, "Or something like it..."

"Then howcome I could catch the pillow?" Olly asked.

"It shields against light only." she explained.

"Well what good would that..." realization hit him, "Oh... Lily! You're a genius!"

She blushed, "Now if I could only get the other half of my plan working..." she sighed, "Luna dea, vos may recedo." she recited, waving a hand towards Olly, and the bubble vanished. "You're unforcefielded." she told him.

"Well, now I'll have to be careful not to piss you off, now that I know you can throw around fire." Olly quipped.

Lily grinned and they fell into silence. She sat back down on the bed and frowned, "I wonder what Buffy's up to, we haven't seen much of her lately."

"Do you blame her? If you disappeared for five months I wouldn't leave your side." he answered.

Lily blushed again, "I guess you have a point. I just want to make sure she's alright, you know? There's so much going on right now."

"You don't need to worry about her Lil, she's with Angel, she's in good hands."

~o~

The fallen leaves crunched under Buffy and Angel's feet as they carefully stalked through the cemetery. It had been a quiet evening so far, yet something in the air had them both on edge. Perhaps it was just Faith's encounter last night that was making them agitated, but something definitely felt different, different enough to keep them from patrolling hand-in-hand as they had been the past three weeks. Buffy found Angel constantly falling a few steps behind her, as though he were trying to watch her back, both had their hands balled tightly into fists, ready to strike at any given moment.

"Are you sure it was a good idea to split up from Faith and Spike?" she asked him.

"They're not that far... we'll hear if anything goes wrong." he answered.

"That's still not all that reassuring." she muttered.

"We'll all be okay." he affirmed.

Buffy wasn't so sure about that, yet Angel's voice was always able to sooth any of her fears. She took a moment to indulge her thoughts, before bringing her focus back to the ominous shadows created by the large trees and heavy shrubbery of the graveyard. "You know, we're really more like sitting ducks in here, " she sighed, "I mean, who else actually comes to hang out in here aside from us? We may as well put a giant neon sign outside the cemetery that says 'Slayers in here! Come and get 'em!'."

Angel smirked, "I think cemeteries are kind of... peaceful, for vampires... reminds us where it all started." his tone becoming darker as he continued.

Buffy chuckled slightly, "Don't get all morbid on me now Angel."

"Force of habit." he grinned.

She took a moment to glance behind her with a smile, before they lapsed back into silence. The quiet in the cemetery was unnerving for Buffy, the stillness of the evening had the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. She huffed in frustration, "I can't take this anymore! Why can't something just happen already?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, we're not even sure what they're planning yet, the more time we have the better." Angel warned.

"I know," she sighed, "It's just aggravating, you know? Everything was building up to some sort of epic battle, but now there's nothing, it's like we're all in limbo."

Angel frowned, he'd known it would only be a matter of time before Buffy finished mourning, and was ready to exact some revenge for all the recent pain in her life. When it came to her friends and family being in danger, rationality in her decision making was not something that came to her easily... and with the deaths of almost all her fellow Slayers, as well as her father, he knew she must be itching to dole out punishment on whomever was responsible.

Being met with nothing but silence from Angel, Buffy sighed, "I know I'm sort of jumping headlong into battle here, but it's just frustrating. I want this to be over already."

"Hey," Angel answered, catching her hand in his and turning her to face him, "We'll deal with things as they come, alright?"

"I know Angel, but-"

"No." Angel interrupted. His expression softened upon seeing Buffy's bewilderment, and he cupped her face between his hands, "I just got you back, I'm not losing you again."

Buffy smiled gently, and opened her mouth to respond.

"Oh, what a touching scene!" came a familiar voice, breaking through the silence.

They both turned, and discovered The First, leaning casually against the wall of a nearby mausoleum. "It almost makes me want to heave..." she sighed, "It's an interesting feeling actually."

Angel swore he could feel his skin crawl as he stared at the being who wore his love's former face.

It laughed as it slid away from the wall of the crypt and took a few steps towards them, "Hello Angel, it's been awhile."

"Stay away from him," Buffy hissed, stepping in front of Angel protectively.

The First continued towards Buffy, grinning darkly, "Or what?" It asked, "Your little sorceress isn't here to conjure me into an even more useless form... what do you think you can do to me?" It taunted, standing nose to nose with Buffy.

In a flash of rage, Buffy's fist connected with The First's jaw. Not expecting the blow, It stumbled back slightly. Regaining It's balance, It licked the blood that seeped through the split in It's lip and laughed. "Ow." It mocked.

"What are you doing here?" Angel growled.

The First didn't answer immediately, and simply continued to grin with a malicious glint in Its eyes. Angel tensed, and a low menacing growl escaped his throat. "Don't worry, I'm not here for you... yet." It said finally.

Buffy clenched her fists and stood her ground in front of The First, she knew she couldn't kill It yet, but she wondered if it would be a bad thing to beat It to a pulp.

"I just brought a few friends of mine to play with you Buffy." The First explained sweetly, as a large shadow began to lumber out of the trees. The moonlight reflected off the charcoal-grey skin of the Cruoris as it emerged from the darkness with a snort, its claws flexed and ready for the attack. Without a moments hesitation, Angel pushed past Buffy and lunged at the demon.

"Angel no!" she shouted, as the Cruoris sidestepped his attack, and grabbing him by the arm, to toss him out of the way. The force launched him head-first into the side of the mausoleum, and Angel crumpled to the ground in a heap, as the assassin continued to stalk towards Buffy without even batting an eye at the fallen vampire. It swung its massive hand at her, its claws swishing as they cut through the air. She slammed her foot down into its knee, but she didn't have enough strength to break the bone, the monster merely stumbled, before swinging at her again, this time with an angered roar. Buffy took a step backwards as she searched for an opening to attack again, when she felt herself hit something solid. A low growl rumbled deep in the wall behind her, and two large, clawed hands wrapped tightly around her upper arms. Looking up, she found the blood red eyes of another Cruoris glaring down at her. The Cruoris she'd been fighting a moment ago snorted again, and bared its teeth as it closed in on her, and Buffy heard The First laughing in the distance.

"This was too easy!" It cried, "Honestly, I'm a little disappointed! Oh well, I guess I'll just have to hope Faith puts up more of a fight than this!"

Buffy sneered up at the beast looming over her, she wasn't about to surrender that easily. Using the leverage provided by her captor, she tucked her legs into her chest, and thrust them out straight in front of her. Her feet slammed straight into the sternum of the demon, and it fell backwards. With the momentum from the two-footed kick, she swung her feet back down and planted them firmly onto the ground, bending at the waist, she attempted to throw the other demon. She knew it was far too heavy, and that she would not succeed, but she managed to loosen its grip, and she wrenched one of her arms free. She winced as one of its claws caught in her arm as she pulled it away, but without losing a beat thrust her fist into the Cruoris' face, dazing it, then slammed it down on its other wrist to free her other arm. She spun away from the demon, but turning back to face her assailants, discovered that both of them had recovered from her attack, and stood side by side, snarling angrily as they stalked towards her. Raising her fists once more, she inched away from them slowly, she knew she could never defeat two of them at once. She scanned the area, and panicked when she realized both The First and Angel were missing. Had It taken him? One of the Cruoris roared and prepared to lunge at her when suddenly a large hand wrapped around its face, and another arm wrapped around its neck.

"I don't think so, pal!" Angel grunted as his head appeared over the demon's shoulder. He attempted to wrench its head to the side, but the demon didn't have enough of a neck to break, and merely flailed around with an aggravated roar as Angel held on for dear life.

The other demon leaped at Buffy, who ducked underneath its arms to slam her open palm into its face before spinning in a roundhouse kick. She was just about to attack again, when she felt Angel's hand close around her wrist, "Run." he urged, and pulled her in the opposite direction of where the demon's stood. Realizing they had no chance of winning tonight, with no weapons and no backup, she followed willingly. They swiftly wove their way through the tombstones, then pulling themselves up onto the roof of a crypt, leaped over the wall of the cemetery, and took off in the direction of downtown.

~o~

Buffy and Angel didn't stop running until they reached his apartment building, and were safely inside the elevator. Buffy had pulled out her cellphone in an attempt to reach Faith, and prayed that she was okay. "There's nothing? You're sure?" Buffy asked, panting heavily as Angel unlocked the door and led her into the apartment, "Go home now. Don't dawdle, get indoors to hide as fast as you can, make sure nothing sees you." She instructed, "Yeah, we're fine... just stay safe okay? Bye." She closed her phone with a heavy sigh and slid it back into her trench coat pocket.

"They're okay?" Angel asked.

"Yeah. Said they didn't see anything all night. They were already on their way home." she sighed, and began to pace back and forth between Angel's bedroom and living room, "Do you think I should call everyone else? Do you think they're in danger?" she asked, panic colouring her voice.

Angel wasn't listening to her, he had been distracted by the blood staining the sleeve of her coat, "You're hurt." he said, moving towards her.

Buffy glanced down at her arm briefly, and continued pacing, "It's nothing."

"It's something." Angel argued. Grabbing her gently, he helped her remove her jacket, and led Buffy to the end of the bed where he forced her to sit, "I better not find you pacing when I come back."

She smiled at him ruefully, and he disappeared into the bathroom. He returned a short while later with a damp washcloth and a roll of gauze. Settling next to her on the bed, he began to dab gently at the wound, cleaning the blood smeared around it.

He inspected it closely before he began to wrap it in the gauze, "It's not as bad as it looked," he told her.

Buffy didn't respond. In fact, she hadn't even heard Angel speak, she was too lost in her own thoughts. Fear gripped at her heart as she thought of the two demons out there, running loose through Braebrook. She wondered if their "code" still held if it was The First controlling them... would they continue to hunt for her until she was dead, or would they go after her friends? The rest of the town? She felt her eyes tear up in frustration, and she hastily blinked them away as she thought of the people she loved, the people she most often put in danger. She was pulled from her thoughts by a finger hooking under her chin, and turning her head. She found herself staring up into Angel's concerned eyes, as he brushed the pad of his thumb over her cheek.

"Don't," he whispered, leaning in to kiss her lightly.

"I can't help it." she murmured, "They're here because of me."

"We'll fight them."

"More will come."

"Then we'll fight them too."

"What if we can't?" Buffy whispered.

Angel simply shook his head, "We can."

"They're all gone Angel," she answered, her tone flat, "There's no one to fight, we're alone this time."

"That's not true," his hand moved to smooth Buffy's hair away from her face, "We've got Faith and Spike, Giles, Willow, Lily and Olly..."

"No." Buffy choked, "Those assassins... they're too strong, and if there's two now, who knows how many will start to show up? I can't expect any of them to fight... I won't let them. I won't let them get hurt." she sighed, "I feel like we're finally in over our heads, like maybe this is the end."

"It's not." Angel argued. His hand was still woven into her hair, he felt like he couldn't get close enough to her at that moment. He'd wouldn't admit it to her, but he'd panicked upon seeing the Cruoris emerge from the darkness of the cemetery. He knew what it had been there to do, and he couldn't let it happen, he'd just kept thinking about what the Gypsy Elder had told him; he knew he had to protect her. He wasn't going to let anything destroy this second chance with her. "We'll beat this Buffy, I know it looks grim, but we'll win. We have to."

"How can you be so sure of that? You said so yourself; we don't even really know what's coming yet."

"Because I know. Because it's what the Elder told me." he confessed.

Buffy's brow furrowed, "What do you mean?"

Angel hesitated, how could he explain this to her without revealing the secret he'd kept from her for over 16 years? "The Romani Elder, she told me as long as we fight together, we'll beat this. There's something bigger The Powers need us for, there's a bigger reason why we're here."

"Great, more prophecies, those always go over so well," Buffy scoffed.

"We're going to beat this Buffy. It may not be easy, but we will... together."

Buffy sighed, the more she discovered about her new life, the more frustrated she became. She thought her days of preventing Apocalypses and saving the world were through; she'd gotten used to travelling the globe, and training new Slayers. The demon community had been too frightened of Buffy and her new army to try anything stupid, it had been easy riding. Now she found herself sitting once more atop a Hellmouth, with the fate of not only her nearest and dearest, but that of the whole world balancing precariously on her shoulders. "This isn't what I wanted."

"What did you want, then?" Angel asked softly.

Buffy looked up into Angel's dark, piercing eyes once more. She didn't know what she wanted, it had been so long since she'd allowed herself to want anything. She was the Slayer; long forgotten were the days when she wished she could shirk her duties and live a normal life. She'd grown into a fearless warrior, taken all the hardships and the battles in stride. That was, until Xander had become a casualty of her calling. Despite all the losses they'd faced over the years, it had given Buffy strength knowing that she'd always been able to keep her closest friends safe, and it had destroyed her when she had finally failed. Who was she fighting for, if she couldn't even protect those she loved? There was something, she knew, far in the back of her mind, and deep in the bottom of her heart. Something she'd buried so deep over the years that she'd even stopped thinking about it everyday, but that tiny hope still drove her forward when everything else failed. The hope that maybe one day, she could finally have the one thing that she'd never truly let go of. She felt her cheeks flush, and her heart flutter as Angel continued to stare at her as though he were peering into her soul. "You. Just you." she whispered.

Angel's other hand came up to caress her face, his unbeating heart swelled as he gazed down at the only woman he'd ever truly loved, the one who had brought light back into his dark world. It all felt so surreal to him, that after everything they'd been through, that after seventeen years of living completely separate lives, she was here in front of him and still wanted to be with him. He felt her warm, smooth hands press into his chest as she leaned into him, brushing her lips against his.

"Buffy..." he breathed.

"Mmm?" she murmured softly, before capturing his lips in a passionate kiss. Buffy inched her way onto Angel's lap as they explored each others mouths with such fervour and urgency it was as though they were trying to erase all the years they spent apart. Angel wrapped his arms around her tightly, crushing her against his chest, as Buffy's hands found their way into his hair, trying desperately to pull him even closer as their kiss deepened.

They had both been gripped by fear upon the attack of the two Cruoris' in the cemetery, as thoughts of the other being slaughtered by the monsters flashed through their minds. They had been waltzing through life as though in a blissful dream, the exciting proposition of finally having a boundary-free relationship had made them forget how perilous their lives were, how one could still be snatched away from the other faster than they could blink an eye. They had to make the most out of every moment they had together. Angel pulled Buffy down onto the bed, rolling over so she was underneath him, before breaking their kiss. Buffy gazed up at him, flushed and panting heavily, her hair fanned out around her head like a golden halo.

"God I love you..." Angel moaned as he dipped back down to capture her lips once more and ran his hand down her side, then up underneath the hem of her top. Buffy's hands slid up Angel's chest to fumble with the buttons on his shirt, and that was the last thing either of them could remember clearly before they lost themselves completely in each other.

~o~

**SURPRISE! So you only had to wait 55 chapters for it... I thank you all for being so patient, and I hope it wasn't disappointing since I'm not going to be writing any smutty scenes. **

**I felt like Lily and Olly sort of got pushed aside for the past few chapters, and I missed writing their relationship since it's a lot more lighthearted than most of the other stuff in this story. Also, please don't try to translate Lily's spell, it's the result of an online translator, and I'm sure it's all sorts of wrong! Spells just seem more authentic to me if they're not in english.**

**I'm going to go attempt to write a bit of my new story now, hopefully I'm not too delirious and sickly to write something that makes sense.  
Until next week! **


	56. Chapter 56: A Special Delivery

**Surprise! It's an early chapter update! I've got a busy weekend ahead so I figured I'd post this while I have a spare moment. What with it being Easter this weekend I'm going to have to go out and spend time with family instead of sitting at home with my computer like a recluse, and tomorrow is going to be a fun-filled day of packing to make up for my sickly-ness last week! And now, on with the show!**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

* * *

_"And I will walk on water  
And you will catch me if I fall  
And I will get lost into your eyes  
And everything will be alright  
And everything will be alright "  
_- "Storm" by Lifehouse

Chapter 56: A Special Delivery

Angel opened his eyes, and found himself feeling oddly elated. Granted, he had been feeling a lot less weighed down by guilt since his meeting with the Romani Elder, even less so upon finally reuniting with Buffy, but this was something different. He felt complete, at peace, like in the short time he'd slept, everything had finally fallen into place. It took a moment for him to remember the events that occurred just a few hours earlier, and for the weight of Buffy's head resting on his chest to register in his mind. He smiled, glancing down at the top of her tousled blonde head. He could tell from her steady, rhythmic breathing that she was still asleep; her arm draped around his waist, and one of her legs entwined with his. He bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud; he'd thought he had dreamt it. God knows he had fantasized about The Day That Never Was more times than he could count, and since confirming the gypsy Nadya's confession, he'd let his imagination get the best of him on more than a few occasions... so now, to not only see, but feel his beloved in his arms at long last, it was enough to make his heart feel like it was about to burst. He felt her hand twitch against his side, and he reached down to take it as she began to stir. Buffy opened her eyes and blinked hazily a few times, before a serene smile spread across her face. She tilted her head, to look up at Angel, whom before she even had a chance to speak, captured her lips in a kiss.

"Mmm, is it morning already?" Buffy moaned.

"Not quite." Angel whispered.

"Oh good," she sighed, tucking her head back under Angel's chin and snuggling closer to him, "that means I get to stay here longer."

Angel chuckled, before pressing a kiss to her temple, and tightening his arms around her.

Neither one spoke, they were both too lost in the moment, too caught up in revelling in the others touch. It was Buffy who finally broke the silence, as she moved her hand from around Angel's waist, to rest it on his chest. His skin felt cool beneath her fingertips, "I forgot how much I missed this."

Angel grasped her hand in his once more, and bringing it up to his lips placed a gentle kiss on her palm, "So had I," he lied. He knew exactly how much he'd missed it, every time he thought of the hours they'd spent together while he'd been human, he was reminded, but none of that mattered anymore, they'd finally been given another chance.

Buffy sighed contentedly, and began to lazily trace small circles over Angel's chest. She felt like she was floating, there wasn't a word that could even begin to describe the bliss she was feeling; after years of running away from each other, of pushing each other away, of pretending their feelings didn't exist... this was more than she'd ever dreamed of. It was perfection, and she never wanted to lose it again. She shivered slightly, and mentally scolded herself for even letting the thought of losing Angel slip into her mind during such a peaceful moment, but now that it had crept up on her, it was all she could think of. She wouldn't be able to bear it this time around, not after finally being given the chance to give herself to him completely; this was something she was never giving up again.

She pulled away from Angel slightly, rolled over onto her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows so she could look at him, when Angel saw the worry etched in her features, his brow furrowed in concern, "What?" he asked, cupping her cheek in his hand.

"This... this is for forever this time, right?" she asked meekly.

"I... I don't understand," Angel implored, searching her face for a clue as to where this sudden fear came from.

"It's just, we always..." she paused, searching for the words, "get torn apart. I don't think I could bear it happening again. Not after all this."

Angel's fear ebbed, and his smile returned as he placed his hands on either side of the worried Slayer's cheeks, "Nothing is taking me away from you this time." he swore, "Buffy Summers, you are stuck with me."

Buffy's frown instantly melted back into a smile, and her cheeks flushed slightly, embarrassed by her tiny panic attack "Promise?" she asked.

"I promise."

She reached out to pull Angel towards her and kissed him gently before he wrapped her in his arms again. "I love you Angel." she whispered.

"I love you too." he answered softly.

Buffy closed her eyes, and felt sleep begin to take her over again. She nestled deeper into the safety of Angel's embrace and let herself drift away, imagining many more nights like this to come.

~o~

To say Buffy and Angel were getting strange looks from the rest of the gang when they met at the bookstore the next evening, would be a gross understatement. Angel was doing an excellent job of ignoring them, however Buffy was finding it harder and harder to dismiss the excited expressions on both Willow and Lily's faces every time their eyes met.

Perhaps they were sitting a little closer than normal, and perhaps they were a little more relaxed, a little more touchy-feely... but, as Buffy thought, who could blame them? They'd had a lot of tension to release.

So far, Buffy had been thankful that Faith was keeping quiet, since every time she looked in her direction she had a sly smirk playing on her lips, and luckily it seemed the other males in the group were utterly oblivious to what the girls were so excited about. Giles, as usual, had his nose stuffed in a book as he paced around the table, reciting something he'd deemed important. Olly simply looked dazed, like he had mentally checked out and stopped paying attention to what Giles was saying ages ago... but Spike on the other hand, worried Buffy. He was slumped in a chair directly across from the couple, his head propped up in his chipped, black nail polished hand, and squinting at them quite intently. Buffy turned her attention away from the prying eyes of her friends and turned back to Angel with a smile. He grinned back, before taking her hand in his and squeezing it gently.

"'... the only casualty of the demon's attack was Francesca, though others attacked, their advances were simply deflected while it focused...'." Giles trailed off, looking up from the volume he carried in his hand, "Is anyone actually listening to me?" he inquired, noticing that Buffy and Angel were clearly lost in their own world, and everyone else, save Olly who simply stared into space, had their eyes fixed on them, studying the couple intently.

"Of course Giles," Buffy answered hastily, "Big scary Cruoris attack, no one could kill it, yadda, yadda, yadda. This is all stuff we already know, how is it going to help?"

"This is the only detailed account of one of their attacks. As we've exhausted our other options, perhaps if we study what occurred, we can devise a plan of some sort... something that could give us an upper hand in killing them." Giles sighed.

"Can't we just get some really big guns or something? I'm sure these things aren't impervious to bullets." Olly suggested.

"And where exactly do you think we're going to get our hands on guns that are 'really big' enough to take down these things?" Lily asked, "We're just civilians."

"Guns never solve anything. Besides, how are we supposed to discreetly slay demons with gunfire ringing out in the cemetery?" Buffy added.

"Yes, quite right," Giles agreed, "We don't need to endanger others, or draw any unnecessary attention to ourselves by-"

"Oh god, you two finally shagged didn't you?" Spike finally exclaimed after remaining silent for most of the evening, interrupting the conversation.

"Spike?" Buffy shouted, blush creeping into her cheeks.

"For the love of God, Spike," Angel sighed, rubbing his hand over his face.

"Dear Lord," Giles groaned, after overhearing the girls' conversation weeks earlier, he had no desire to learn anything more about Buffy and Angel's intimate life, "Spike, this is hardly the time or the place-"

"What? No one but me noticed how they've been makin' googly eyes at each other all night?" Spike asked.

"No, we did, we just had the good sense to keep our mouths shut," Faith retorted before turning to Buffy and Angel, "But if we're gonna talk about it; Right on guys," she said with a wink.

"I'm feeling kinda uncomfortable right now..." Olly said.

"You're not the only one," Angel grumbled.

"Oh come on Angel! It's nothin' to be embarrassed about!" Spike drawled, You two had what? Eighteen years of sexual tension pent up? It's bound to be noticeable when you finally -"

"If you know what's good for you Spike, you won't finish that sentence," Angel jumped in, glaring daggers at the younger vampire.

Buffy simply stared incredulously at Spike, blinking a few times. Shaking her head in disbelief, she turned back to Giles, "So what were you saying Giles?"

"Yes! Right! Um..." Giles blurted, lifting the book up to his nose once more and scanning the page, "Erm... where was I?"

~o~

Byron Travers skulked down the street, his fedora pulled down low over his eyes, lest he run into the Slayer or one of her friends before he could make it to his destination. He hated that The First was making him do this, it was really quite inconvenient that It was now corporeal, and forcing him to run messages. "Bloody vampires" he grumbled under his breath, and wondered why the undead community couldn't just get with the times, and invest in a mobile phone. It would save him the trouble of delivering himself into a nest of vampires, like a gazelle trotting happily into a pack of lions. He approached the run-down warehouse, and paused outside the service entrance. He sighed heavily, and mentally prepared himself as he pushed open the door. He was greeted by a growling vampire, his fangs bared menacingly. "_She_ sent me." Byron seethed, already on edge. The vampire backed away, but still glared at him hungrily as he passed by. He made it to the back room without any more encounters, where a large group of vampires milled about. He scanned the room, and spotted a tall, blond vampire lounging on a couch near the back of the space, he began to move towards him, when a hand lashed out and caught him around the neck. A tall, exotic female vampire stepped in front of him, her almond-shaped eyes narrowed at him suspiciously.

"Who are you?" she hissed.

"I-I'm on your side," he stammered, "I've come with a message for Callum, from _Her_."

The vampire loosened her grip on his throat while growling threateningly, before turning towards the blond man sprawled on the couch, "Callum!" she shouted, "She sent someone for you."

She remained in front of Byron, glaring menacingly with her arms crossed over her chest as Callum reluctantly rose from the sofa and strolled towards him. He looked Byron up and down, and an amused smirk spread across his lips, "She sent _you_?" he asked

"Yes." Byron stated simply, feigning confidence.

"A human?" he chuckled.

"I was the one that freed her from the Hellmouth," Byron explained, hoping perhaps it would be enough of a reason for them to let him walk out alive.

Callum simply continued to smirk down at Byron. The hungry eyes of the vampire were making him uneasy, but he stood his ground, "She has requested-"

"They know what I've requested." a voice echoed through the warehouse.

Byron searched through the sea of vampires, and his eyes grew wide in shock as they parted to let a petite blonde saunter through. She stopped beside Callum with a dark glint in her eye.

"You're here?" he sputtered incredulously, "Then why did you ask me-"

"Oh please Byron!" she sighed, her tone condescending, "You humans are all so pathetic! So easily fooled!"

Byron's eyes flickered to the room full of vampires, they all surveyed him like a hungry pack of wolves, and he felt his heartbeat quicken, "I don't understand..." he muttered.

"What did you expect would happen, Byron, my dear? That I would just let you run back to England when all this was done?" she asked, taking a step towards him. Callum and the other vampires followed suit.

Byron took a step backwards, trying to keep his distance from them. He felt a small sense of anger and betrayal bubble up through his overwhelming feelings of fear, "I freed you!" he hissed, "You would still be trapped, the Slayers would still have free reign if it wasn't for me!"

She laughed, and shook her head grinning in bemusement, "Did you really think I'd allow another Slayer to be called after getting you to completely eradicate them for me? You're still the enemy Byron, I couldn't possibly let you spoil my fun after all this."

Byron's face twisted in rage, his hands balled into fists at his sides, and his stomach began to churn with a sense of embarrassment and betrayal. How could he have let himself so foolishly trust such a powerful and malevolent being? He took another cautious step backwards, but The First noticed.

She turned to Callum with a deceptively sweet smile, "I said I'd bring dinner." she sung.

Callum's face morphed, and he roared loudly, signalling the other vampires to follow suit. Upon being faced by a wall of glowing yellow eyes, Byron spun on his heels and shot back up the stairs to the catwalk, as the vampires poured past The First after him. The vampire he'd encountered at the service entrance tried to cut him off once he reached the top, but somehow he found the strength to throw him over the railing onto part of the mob below. He raced out of the warehouse, and clamoured through the hole in the boarded up main entrance, hoping the vampires wouldn't be as willing to chase him down a more prominent street. He felt a hand claw at his ankle as he pulled himself through the hole, but he refused to look back, and took off full speed down the road. He heard a few growls behind him as he turned a corner, and tried with all his might to push himself to run faster. It was then, in a panic, that he felt himself collide straight on with a solid object, and he slammed to the ground.

"Bloody Hell mate!" the person exclaimed.

Byron scrambled to his knees, and clutched at the bottom of the man's leather duster, "Please, please... I'm being chased, you must help me... please..." he panted desperately.

The stranger chuckled, "Oh, this is too perfect!"

Byron looked up, and found himself staring into the piercing blue eyes of a very pale, and very bleach-blond man. He felt the blood drain from his face, once he realized he'd stumbled across one of the last people he should want to help him.

Spike grinned down at the groveling form of Byron Travers as he cracked his knuckles, "Sure, I can help you out mate!" he laughed.

He swung his fist into Byron's temple, and the world went dark.

~o~

Giles sighed heavily upon hearing the knock at his door. He supposed by now he should be re-accustomed to the late night visitations, however Buffy and Angel had already stopped by after patrol, and he had just poured himself a fresh cup of tea that he had been very much looking forward to enjoying in peace and quiet. He pulled open the door reluctantly, and his sour expression immediately changed to one of shock, as he discovered Spike standing on the other side with a limp and very unconscious Byron Travers propped up in his arms.

"Trick or Treat" Spike sung, before he dragged Travers into Giles' kitchen and flopped him into a chair at the kitchen table, "You got any rope ol' pal?" he asked.

"The-the chest in the corner..." Giles answered in a daze, still staring at the middle-aged man slumped over at his table, "Wha... h-how... where, may I ask, did you find him?" he finally managed to stammer.

"I ran into him in the Industrial Park – literally... said somethin' was chasin' him." Spike called over his shoulder as he dug through the chest in the corner of the room. He pulled out a set of iron manacles, and turned back to Giles with an eyebrow raised, "Got a bit of a kinky side, do we mate?"

"Now is hardly the time for your remarks, Spike," Giles sighed, turning to rifle through his kitchen cabinets, "Just tie him up before he comes to."

Spike crossed back to Travers, and clapped the set of manacles onto his ankles, before using a length of rope he found to tie his hands behind his back, and then secure him to the chair.

Giles appeared beside Spike with a small paper sachet in his hands. Tearing it open, he held it under Travers' nose, and waited. Mere seconds later, his eyes shot open as he sputtered, and attempted to flail against his restraints. He searched the room with his eyes wild, before he settled on Giles and Spike who stood before him. He blinked a few times, his brow knitted in confusion, before the events that preceded his blackout came back to him. "Oh perfect..." he grumbled, as he took in the rope and chains holding him against the chair.

"Perfect indeed." Giles mused, "Hello again, Byron." he greeted with a forced smile.

"Rupert." Byron growled.

"Things going a little pear-shaped for you?" Giles asked mockingly.

"Not at all, why would you ask?" he seethed.

"You sure about that chap? Cause I could've sworn you said you were bein' chased." Spike interjected, as he looked down his nose at the former Watcher with his arms crossed.

Byron twitched slightly before answering, "I'm not saying anything to either of you." he hissed.

Giles' eyes became dark as he stared at the man responsible for turning Buffy's life inside out. She'd finally be on the verge of being able to slow down... they all had. Now instead of getting the rest they all deserved, they were mourning the deaths of people they'd held dear, and waiting for another Hellmouth to open underneath their feet. He pulled a chair up in front of Byron, and sat down facing him, his elbows propped on his knees, "I'm afraid you're going to have to." he replied in a low and menacing tone.

"And what if I won't?" he spat.

Giles narrowed his eyes, and slowly rose to circle the chair. He grasped one of Byron's pinky fingers firmly in his hand, and wrenched it backwards. It snapped sickeningly, and he cried out in pain.

"Bloody Hell Giles..." Spike muttered, both taken aback, and slightly surprised by the Watcher's actions.

Travers' cry turned into a hollow chuckle, "Oh, Rupert... you underestimate me if you think a few broken digits will loosen my tongue."

"Is that so." Giles replied, staring past Spike into the kitchen. He moved away from where Byron sat, and strode past Spike to the oven, where his kettle still sat on the burner. It had only been a few minutes since Giles had turned it off, and steam still rose from the spout. Lifting it from the stove top he crossed back to where Travers was restrained and held the kettle out over his lap.

His eyes grew wide as Giles began to slowly tilt the kettle forward, a puff of steam accompanied by a sloshing noise echoed out of the spout, and he could feel the heat radiating off the sides "Have you lost your mind?" he stammered.

"No, just my patience," Giles yawned, showing no signs of discarding the steaming kettle.

Byron swallowed hard, "Fine, what do you want to know?" he sneered.

Giles straightened the kettle with a smug smile before passing it off to Spike, "Put this back on the burner, will you? Just in case he changes his mind." With a smirk, Spike grabbed the kettle, and crossed back to the stove, flicking on the burner. Giles settled back into the chair opposite Byron, with his elbow propped up on the table, "And give Buffy a call, will you? I think she'd probably like to be here."

~o~

**Giles hasn't done much other than research in this story, and I was starting to feel bad! As much as I love him being all stuffy and intellectual, I really, really like it when Ripper gets to make a brief appearance! I figure it's only fitting that Giles gets to rough up the person who ruined Buffy's life.**

**Speaking of Byron, my horrible creation, he finally got what was coming to him. I'm sure a lot of you thought it was silly that he just waltzed into the bookstore and announced his evil plans, but clearly he's an idiot - though an informed one. I have some more fun with him in the next chapter!**

**And now back to Buffy and Angel who finally got their happy morning after! I hope it was to your liking, I decided to keep it short and sweet so they could get back to cuddling, haha. I figured it would only make sense for Buffy to panic a little - the poor girl really isn't used to getting what she wants! The scene in the bookstore was really just for comedic relief.**

**Now on to real life - unfortunately, I don't think I will be able to update next weekend! :(**  
**It's the big move, so my internet will be cut off for a bit, and then I will probably be spending the first few days at my new place getting everything unpacked. I will however promise all you lovely people an update on the weekend of the 7th-8th! So hold tight, and wish me luck! **


	57. Chapter 57: Past and Future Collide

**And I'm back!  
So sorry for the extended absence, this move was a huge headache but thankfully now everything is back to normal! I'm all settled in, back at work, and finally internet accessible and reconnected with the rest of the world!**

Anyway, I won't talk too much so you can get on with the reading - I hope you haven't forgotten what's happened so far! 

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

* * *

Chapter 57: The Past and Future Collide

Spike eyed Buffy suspiciously as she swept into Giles' apartment twenty minutes later accompanied by Angel. When he'd called, she'd said they were at Angel's, which was just up the street. Meaning in the time that it took them to get there, there was really no reason why Buffy's hair should look like it had been thrown up into a ponytail so haphazardly, or why Angel should have missed a button while doing up his shirt.

"What took you so bloody long?" he asked Buffy, who's eyes were already fixed upon Byron Travers, who was fidgeting uncomfortably in the kitchen chair.

"What?" she asked, turning to Spike.

"I called you twenty minutes ago."

"There was a..."

"Vampire." Angel chimed in.

"Right!" Buffy agreed hastily, "In the alley. But we killed it, everyone's safe."

"Uh-huh, well thank goodness the two of you were there!" Spike chuckled sarcastically, "By the way, you missed a button." he pointed out, gesturing towards Angel's shirt.

Angel looked down at the front of his shirt, then after glaring at Spike, turned around to re-button it. Buffy shot Spike a dirty look as well, before she sauntered around the table to stand in front of where Travers was tied up. "Where's Giles?" she asked.

"I'm right here." he answered, exiting the bathroom while he cleaned the lenses of his glasses with a large handkercheif, "What took you two so long?"

"Vampires." Both Buffy and Angel answered simultaneously, as Angel turned back around, his shirt now properly buttoned, and crossed the room to stand behind Buffy, eyeing the man tied in the chair in front of her.

"There was more than one now?" Spike snickered.

Buffy simply shot him another look before glancing to Giles "Where did you find him?" she asked, turning back to glare down at Travers with her hands on her hips.

"Spike found him running through the industrial park, he was being chased by a mob of vampires." Giles explained.

"Really?" Buffy asked with the most fake smile playing on her lips, "You should have just let them have their fun Spike."

"Oh, but you haven't heard the best part yet!" Spike laughed.

"What's the best part?" Angel asked.

"The First was the one who sent the vampires after him." Spike stated rather nonchalantly as he picked at the arm of the sofa he was seated on.

"You don't say," Buffy grinned, leaning over so her and Byron were eye to eye, "Hello Byron." she cooed.

"Miss Summers..." he spat. His finger was throbbing, and the ropes were cutting sharply into his wrists; having the Slayer and her entourage scrutinizing him, so clearly amused by his current misfortune, wasn't helping his mood.

"Did you and your new friends have a little disagreement, Byron?" she asked, smiling so sweetly that Travers felt if he hadn't been bound to the chair he would have lunged at her, with complete and utter disregard to how badly she would have pummelled him afterwards.

"It's all your fault!" he bellowed.

Buffy didn't even blink at his outburst. She wasn't intimidated by the pathetic man who had to seek out demonic aid for what he'd deemed a problem, "I hardly think it's my fault that you didn't have the foresight to see what would happen once you gave The First what It wanted."

Byron sneered at the Slayer, before averting his eyes to Giles, "If you're going to interrogate me Rupert, just bloody get on with it and get her out of my face."

Buffy straightened, and turned to look at Giles. He nodded, and she stepped back from their captive so Giles could approach.

"We want to know how to kill the Cruoris, Byron." Giles stated coolly.

Byron glanced back to Buffy, who stood next to Giles, her arms crossed intimidatingly over her chest, and he heard Spike cracking his knuckles from where he was perched on the arm of the sofa, intent on not missing any of the action. His chin fell to his chest with an exasperated sigh before he answered, "They can only be killed with an enchanted weapon."

"What sort of weapon?" asked the dark-haired vampire. Travers had never seen him before, but could only assume from his quiet and intense demeanour, coupled with the fact that he stayed so closely and protectively at Buffy's side, that he was indeed Angel, the 'Champion' vampire with a soul, that he'd heard his father and fellow Watchers gripe about on several occasions.

"Anything will do really," he continued begrudgingly, "you simply need to use the incantation written on the scroll that calls the demons forth."

Giles almost growled, he'd been hoping perhaps the younger Travers would smarten up, and begin to volunteer the information they needed, rather than him having to ask one question after another until they could piece everything together, "And where, exactly, do we find this scroll?"

"In my motel room." Byron replied haughtily, he'd given them enough, they could find the bloody scroll on their own. He wasn't about to volunteer the seedy little room where he'd been spending his days here in Braebrook. It was bad enough that The First knew to find him there, he didn't need the Slayer and her sidekicks in the know as well... he would still need to stop by there to gather his belongings before he skipped town.

"Which motel?" Buffy asked.

Travers didn't reply.

Buffy slammed her fist down into the kitchen table, and leaned over Travers intimidatingly, her nose mere inches from his, "Which motel, Byron?"

"I'm not a skittish little colt, Slayer, loud noised aren't going to startle me into talking."

"It's alright Buffy, there are only so many motels in Braebrook, we're bound to stumble upon it quick enough," Spike offered, "About as quickly as The First will stumble upon you once we let you go." he sneered to Byron.

"I'm sure if I lay low, she'll completely forget about me," Byron chided, "You on the other hand," he directed towards Buffy, "She'll be all over you, you vampire's whore."

The words had barely left Byron's lips before Angel had lunged from behind Buffy and grabbed Byron roughly by the throat, knocking the chair backwards. He yelped in pain as he landed on top of his hands, his broken pinkie being crushed into the backrest. Angel loomed over him menacingly, his yellow eyes shining with anger and his fangs bared.

"Now... n-now come on Angel... I know you won't kill me." he stammered.

"Do you?" Angel snarled as he tightened his grip around the misguided Watcher's neck. Ever since he'd learned this pathetic man had been responsible for Xander's death, the event which he thought had ripped Buffy from his life permanently, and set every other disaster they had faced in the past year into motion, he had dreamed of tearing his throat out. Hearing him speak to Buffy in such a way had been his breaking point.

"You don't kill humans..." Byron muttered.

"I don't..." Angel hissed, "But you killed the woman I love... You killed her friends, her family, and hundreds of young girls who had done nothing but fight to keep the world safe... and you did it all without an ounce of remorse. So to me, you're no better than I was before I was cursed, and I don't think I would feel all that bad about snapping your neck in two."

Byron visibly paled as he stared up into the vampire's raging eyes. He wasn't sure whether he should trust him to stick to his morals in that moment. "I-it's the Beaumont Motel, near the exit off Route 6." he choked.

Angel growled, he wasn't sure he should believe him, but Buffy's warm hand resting on his shoulder pulled him out of his fury.

"It's okay Angel." she whispered soothingly.

He slowly released his grip on Byron, and rose to his feet, his face still twisted in a snarl. It wasn't until he was standing again that his game face faded away. He turned back to Buffy, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his chest, "Sorry." he whispered into her hair almost inaudibly.

She squeezed his arm reassuringly before turning to Giles, "Can you keep him here while we check it out? See if he's telling the truth?"

Giles nodded, "I'll keep an eye on him."

"Spike, you coming?" Buffy called, as her and Angel headed towards the door.

"Right behind you, Pet." he replied, hopping off the arm of the couch exuberantly, and eyeing Byron with disdain as he caught up with the couple.

"The Cruoris' are the least of your worries right now, Miss Summers. The First has recruited every vampire in town." Travers' shouted from the ground where his chair still lay.

Buffy sighed in irritation, and turned back to the man on the floor, "Vampires I can deal with."

"But you don't know what she's planning." he continued.

"And you do?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"She's going to re-open the Hellmouth, she wants Braebrook as her own."

"That's a load of Bull," Spike scoffed, "We sealed the Hellmouth... two of them actually."

Byron shook his head, "Not properly... you lot honestly have no idea what's down there?"

"No, I suppose we don't. But I imagine you're going to tell us." Giles drawled.

"The thing you defeated... The Guardian, was it called? It wasn't evil, it was the only thing keeping the Hellmouth shut."

"What are you talking about?" Buffy cut in, "I saw it try to re-open the Hellmouth first hand, I had a front row seat."

"It wasn't trying to open it." Byron corrected, shaking his head,"It was trying to seal it."

"Impossible, the pages we had from that book specifically said that the Hellmouth could only be opened by The Guardian." Giles argued.

"Shoddy translation." Byron chuckled, "I've seen the original scrolls, they were kept in the Council office."

"What's with you lot and your piss-poor translations? No wonder you got yourselves blown up!" Spike sneered.

Buffy looked to Giles uneasily, though Byron seemed to be slightly, if not completely, sociopathic, he was well informed, "What were they supposed to say?" Buffy asked.

Byron smiled grimly, "Didn't you find it peculiar that there was another Hellmouth in such close proximity to Sunnydale?" he asked.

"There isn't much we find peculiar these days..." Spike scoffed.

Byron sneered at the vampire, "The Sunnydale Hellmouth was the most powerful one in the continent, so powerful in fact, that it began to leak. That leak created the Hellmouth here, in Braebrook."

"The fire at the church," Giles interjected, "That was when the leak began, wasn't it?"

"You haven't lost your edge Rupert," Byron sneered. Giles glared daggers at the younger Watcher, but he continued nonetheless, "The demons believed they'd found somewhat of a 'back door', if you will, into our dimension, but it was brought to the Council's attention. They called forth the demon that became known as The Guardian, knowing that it had the ability to control dimensional leaks, and asked it to guard the Hellmouth. It accepted, and disguising itself as the statue, promised to only reveal itself in the event that the Hellmouth was being opened."

"Why would a demon agree to keep others from wreaking havoc on earth?" Spike asked.

"Not all demons are out looking for death and destruction, William, you should know that." Byron answered, "It knew what kind of devastation the leak could cause to both dimensions."

Buffy had been oddly silent during all of Byron's explanation, there was something that seemed off, something that didn't quite make sense in her mind, "Why would the Council track down a demon to seal this Hellmouth?" she asked, "And why not seal the Sunnydale one? Go right to the source?"

Panic flashed briefly in Byron's eyes. He masked it quickly, but not quickly enough for it to go unnoticed by Angel. He narrowed his eyes as he studied the flustered Watcher, "They knew didn't they?" his tone was low and angry as he spoke.

"Knew what?" Byron asked, but he was a little too shaken to sound sincere in his query.

"About Buffy." Angel clarified icily.

Byron scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous, it was almost two-hundred years before she was called!"

"But there's a prophecy," Angel growled, "They knew she would end up in Sunnydale,"

Byron swallowed hard as he studied the angry vampire, he'd already witnessed his temper when it came to the Slayer, he didn't want to aggravate him further, "They knew there would be a Slayer who would close the Sunnydale Hellmouth... yes. They couldn't tamper with a prophecy, they had to leave the Hellmouth be." he turned to Buffy, "However, they had no idea the extent of the... unconventional methods by which you would do so, or that the companion mentioned would be a _vampire_." he spat at Angel. "Not that it matters anyway. Clearly the Sunnydale Hellmouth was not the subject of the prophecy, otherwise none of this would be happening now, would it?"

Buffy looked up to Angel, her eyes wide and slightly nervous. It worried Angel, he wasn't used to seeing her sweat over Slaying-related things anymore, "Is this what the Romani Elder told you about?" she asked softly.

"I think it might be." he replied gently. There was too much going on already, he could tell she was feeling overwhelmed at the thought that even after this battle, there would still be more to come.

"Bloody hell, it never ends does it?" Spike muttered from behind them.

Giles still stood silently next to Byron's chair, rage boiling just beneath the surface in his eyes, "This is why your silly methods never worked," he fumed quietly, "Because you all just sat back idly, all the way in England, and hoped someone else would fix the problem."

"Then I guess we better get fixing." Buffy piped in, taking another step towards the door, "I'll call you on our way back Giles, let you know what we find."

"Yes, of course." Giles acknowledged, "Actually, I'd like to have a word with you outside Angel." he added, as he crossed towards the door with the three others.

"You can't leave me in here alone!" Byron shouted from the floor.

"Now Byron, if you stop your whining and behave yourself while I'm outside, perhaps I'll think about straightening your chair when I get back." Giles called coolly over his shoulder.

Buffy turned and grinned wryly at Travers as she stepped outside, even if he was lying to them about the location of the scroll, it felt good to see him squirm a bit for the time being. Once outside, she made her way down the spiralled metal staircase, and waited with Spike for Angel and Giles to finish speaking.

Giles shut the door softly behind him, and turned to face Angel, who waited on the small balcony, by the top of the stairs. He looked deep in thought already, even though Giles had yet to begin questioning him. "This... prophecy, you spoke of with Byron," he began.

"I really don't know much, Giles." Angel sighed, "Besides, Byron was wrong in assuming that this Hellmouth is what the prophecy was referencing; the Elder told me that there is something bigger than this that Buffy and I will need to stop, that was all she said." he worried that Giles may think he had been withholding information from him, but the truth was he didn't know what to make of it, and he hadn't wanted to tell Buffy until all this was over. He knew it could be dangerous to distract her from the matter at hand, by making her worry about what was coming next. He'd learned over the years that it was best to deal with world-ending events one at a time, it was the only way to survive.

"I wish we had that book... the one Dustin was using..." Giles mumbled.

"I wouldn't even know where to begin looking for it," Angel replied, "Byron seems to know something, keep questioning him while we're gone."

"Yes, I suppose that is our only option right now." Giles looked over the railing at the petite blonde waiting with Spike below. She bounced on the balls of her feet slightly in anticipation, and glanced up every so often with a hopeful smile on her face as she waited for Angel to descend. He marvelled at how quickly she'd bounced back from all the recent tragedies. He'd always known she had a warrior's spirit, but he also knew that it was in part to the fact that she had Angel at her side once more. "If there is something bigger coming... keep her safe." Giles told Angel softly, "I don't want to think about what kind of devastation could occur if she's lost again."

Angel followed Giles' eyes down to where Buffy stood. His expression had been one of steely determination, however once his eyes fell on his tiny Slayer, it softened into a content smile that Giles was still not used to seeing him wear.

"I won't let her out of my sight." Angel promised.

Giles knew he could believe him.

~o~

**I'll have the next chapter up tomorrow, I'm actually heading out in a few minutes and don't think I'll have time to upload another.**

**I really hope this chapter wasn't too confusing, I just hate writing these information overload chapters... but they become necessary every once and awhile when you've written something as long and as winding as this.  
**

**To balance it out though, I thoroughly enjoyed writing Spike teasing Buffy and Angel at the beginning... also, the next chapter is mostly action, so it'll be less of a headache!**

**I'm SO glad to be back! Until tomorrow! **


	58. Chapter 58: Here Comes the Sun

***** In case you've missed it, I've replaced the note in Chapter 57 with the _actual_ Chapter 57... so make sure you read it before continuing with this one!*****

**Moving on, we're back on track! I think I may keep only updating one chapter per week however, since there are now only 4 chapters left, and it makes me sad to think that this will soon be over. :(**

**So, in my haste to update last night, I completely forgot to add a song to the chapter... not that it's a huge deal because re-reading it, I'm not even sure what I would have used... I'm also pretty sure I've already used this quote in a previous chapter... but I'm not really feeling like sifting through the 56 other chapters to figure out where, soooo it'll just have to potentially be used twice!**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

* * *

"_They love the earth,  
Lies are serving fire and brimstone, we move the backbone  
Say hello to sunshine,  
Wake up, you're baptized"  
_- "Say Hello to Sunshine" by Finch

Chapter 58: Here Comes The Sun

The trio hid in the shadow of a group of trees just a block away from the motel, waiting for Faith to arrive. They had called her on the way, knowing she would be furious enough when she found out she missed an opportunity to beat some answers out of Travers, they didn't need to make things worse by keeping her in the dark about raiding his apartment. Besides, they had all agreed that they should have all the back-up they could, in case The First showed up looking for the scroll. Buffy leaned casually against the trunk of a tree, her arms crossed in front of her to keep away the chill in the air. Angel stood next to her, and Spike was a bit further away, closer to the side of the road in order to keep an eye out for Faith.

Buffy stared off into space, she was contemplating not only everything Byron had said, but the prophecy that Angel had vaguely told her about a few nights ago. She had always wondered why the first thing The Guardian had done was kill Dustin, when he was the one who had freed it – or so she had thought. If they hadn't tried to stop it, if she hadn't chased after it and managed to kill it, would Byron have been able to free The First? She hoped that this prophecy wasn't going to be fulfilled because she had slaughtered the one thing keeping the Hellmouth from leaking into Braebrook. Angel's hand on her shoulder startled her out of her thoughts.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," she sighed, "It's just... I can never get used to the fact that people were writing things about me before I was even born. It's freaky. I don't like it."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Angel thought back to when he'd discovered the Shanshu prophecy... of course, he'd been so in awe of the prospect of having a chance at being human again, that the other aspects of having a prophecy written about him hadn't really hit. "You're not worried though, are you?" he asked her.

Buffy paused thoughtfully, before turning back to him, "No, actually." she answered, almost as thought she had surprised herself with the revelation, "I feel like, as long as you're there to fight with me, I don't have to worry."

Angel found himself smiling at her again. He knew that he shouldn't be, they were discussing something that was more ominous than fighting The First, but any time Buffy voiced her faith in him after everything they'd been through, it warmed his dead heart. He reached his hand out to caress her cheek gently, and she smiled back.

"Alright you love-birds! Break it up!" a voice called from the road, and Faith came jogging towards them with Spike on her tail. "So?" she asked, looking from one to the other, "Ready to do some breaking and entering!"

~o~

Spike snapped the handle of the motel room door and it swung open slowly. They waited a beat to make sure they were alone before stepping into the darkness.

"I never want to know why you can do that so well," Buffy whispered to Spike.

"You sure about that Pet?" Spike asked, winking at Buffy as he sauntered down the narrow hallway and flicked on the light. Angel scowled at the back of his head, but said nothing.

Faith waltzed past Spike, and halted at the foot of the bed with her lips pursed in a thin line, "I don't know about you guys, but I don't really like the looks of this." she said wearily.

The others filed into the room, and stood behind Faith, facing the bed. Laid out over the bedspread was a weathered old scroll. It looked to be made of leather, and it was stained with tiny droplets of a dark substance, in the middle however, was a much larger stain, as though someone had spilled something over top of it. It was not quite as dark brown as the smaller ones, and still had a bit of a reddish hue.

Next to the scroll lay an empty glass vial, which Angel took in his hand. He brought it up to his nose and sniffed, "There was definitely blood in here. Human." he said.

"So, I'm gonna take a stab at it, and say the blood is there now?" Faith asked, pointing at the stained leather scroll.

Buffy slipped past Faith, and picked the scroll up off of the bed, despite the many stains that covered it, all the words were still clearly visible. Not that it mattered to Buffy, since it was in a language she definitely didn't understand, "What does it say?" she asked, holding it up to Angel.

Angel took it carefully from her hands, and began to scan it quickly, "This part down here is the spell Byron was talking about, to enchant a weapon in order to kill it." he explained, gesturing to a portion written at the bottom right of the scroll. Glancing back up to where the blood was spilled, he frowned, "This part here," he continued, pointing to a large section of text where the freshest stain was, "Is the spell to call forth the Cruoris. It says that in order to control the demon you have to use a drop of your own blood, and recite the incantation."

"A drop?" Spike asked, "That looks like more than a drop there Mate."

"If Travers used that much blood then..." Buffy wondered.

Angel looked down to Buffy, concern written all over his features. He was sure she was thinking the same thing as him, "It must mean that-"

"They're all coming." a voice finished from the doorway.

They all turned to the source of the voice, and discovered The First leaning against the door frame.

Faith's eyes grew wide, she had yet to come face-to-face with The First since it had been trapped in solid flesh, "Jesus..." she whispered under her breath.

"See, this is why I wanted Byron taken care of!" The First sighed, "I knew it was only a matter of time before you'd find him and crack him... granted I was hoping you would take longer."

Buffy pushed to the front of the group, "Get gone," She growled, "We're taking the scroll, and you're not going to stop us."

"Yeah... no, that's not the way I see things happening." The First replied with a wicked grin, "See, I brought some friends." she gestured to someone outside, and four vampires stepped into view.

"There isn't much help in this town other than vampires... lots and lots of vampires. Which is strange when you think about it, I mean it is a Hellmouth... but anyway, I'm gonna need all the help I can get destroying you, and if you guys can beat my assassins, well, that's just not fair now is it?" She stepped back from the door, and the four vampires charged into the room. Buffy lunged at the first one, pushing him into the wall, but as she reached for her stake another grabbed her by the throat, and slammed her into the sliding glass door of the closet. She fell to the ground, covering her head as it shattered around her, and the other vampires rushed by.

"Buffy!" Angel shouted, and tackled the vampire that had attacked her. In the struggle, the scroll slipped from his grip, and one of the other vampires snatched it off the ground. Angel looked around frantically, and his eyes fell on Faith, who had just dusted one of the other vampires, "Faith!" he shouted, tossing the vampire he'd just attacked back into the room and punching him in the face, "The scroll!"

Faith turned just in time to see the vampire rush towards the door. She launched herself over the bed and rushed after him, just as he crossed the threshold of the door, she grappled him to the ground, attempting to pry the scroll from his hands.

In the meantime, Buffy pulled herself out of the closet, stepping over the shards of shattered mirror just in time to see The First step out of the way as Faith tackled the vampire just outside the door. She turned, and upon spotting Buffy, spun on her heel, pulled herself over the railing separating the small walkway from the parking lot, and sprinted over the grass towards the street. Buffy immediately jumped into action, hurdling over the railing, and sped off as fast as she could after The First. She caught up with her just a few paces away from the edge of the road, and swinging her arm out violently in front of her, managed to catch a handful of The First's hair. Buffy threw her into a nearby tree, pinning her face-first into the trunk. The First immediately head-butted Buffy, slamming the back of her head sharply into Buffy's nose. She stumbled back, her nose clutched in her hand as The First turned and stalked towards her. Pulling her hand away, Buffy found her palm covered in blood, then sneered back up at The First.

"Ready for round two?" The First snarled, circling Buffy like a hungry wolf.

"Bring it." Buffy snapped, before spinning into a roundhouse kick.

The First ducked, then leaped into a scissor kick, which Buffy just barely managed to back away from. She countered with a backhand punch, which connected solidly with The First's jaw, before she hooked her foot around the back of The First's left ankle, pulling her foot out from underneath her, causing her to slam to the ground. Buffy lifted her foot again, to slam it down on The First's face, but she caught it, and twisting it to the side, sent Buffy spinning to the ground. She jumped on top of Buffy and her hands found their way around Buffy's throat, as Buffy shoved her hand into The First's face, trying to push her away. She finally managed to tuck her knees between them, and using all her strength, flipped The First over her head before using the leverage to jump back to her feet.

Now facing the motel, Buffy could see Faith toss the vampire over the railing, both still gripping the scroll tightly in one hand, as Faith rained punches on him furiously. Distracted, Buffy didn't have time to block the punch thrown by the First, and the impact sent her stumbling backwards. She barely had time to catch the next one, but then landed two swift left-handed punches while she clutched The First's right hand in her own. She recovered quickly, and charged at Buffy, pinning her to the tree that Buffy had pinned her to just moments earlier. Suddenly, Buffy heard the faint sound of fabric tearing, and Faith shouting, before the vampire she'd been fighting whizzed by the pair.

"I got it! I got it!" He shouted as he took off down the street.

Wide eyed, Buffy looked back to where Faith and the vampire had been fighting, and discovered her fellow Slayer lying face-down in the dirt. "Faith!" she cried.

The First cackled, "It's over now Buffy. In three nights time, I'll destroy you, and everyone else in this town." She shoved Buffy roughly into the tree, and then sped off after the vampire.

Buffy wasted no time rushing to Faith's side. Spike had beat her there, and knelt beside the brunette, his hand placed gently on her back. Angel rushed to meet her, his eyes wide in concern once they rested on her face.

"You alright?" he asked, touching her cheek gingerly.

Buffy wiped away the blood she could feel drying just underneath her nose, "I'm okay," she assured him, before grabbing his arm and pulling him towards Faith.

As they neared Faith and Spike, Buffy could see that she was now propped up on her elbows, still lying on her stomach. There was a large bruise forming at her hairline, and her face was smudged with dirt, yet she wore a giant grin. She giggled almost maniacally as Buffy and Angel drew nearer.

"Faith? Are you alright?" She asked, kneeling next to the other Slayer.

Faith merely giggled again, and turned to Buffy, her eyes shining in amusement, "They got the wrong half." she chuckled.

Buffy looked down; clutched between Faith's hand was a large chunk of leather, the scroll must have torn in two during their struggle. Angel slowly pried it out of Faith's hands and began reading. He too, broke out in a smile, "It's the enchantment spell... they only managed to get the incantation to call the demons."

Buffy smiled up at Angel, almost in disbelief at their good fortune, before rising to her feet and offering her hand to Faith. She took Buffy's hand gratefully, and pulled herself off the ground before she began dusting off her clothes.

"Well, I say we take this little celebration elsewhere before they realize their mistake and come back." Spike suggested.

Buffy nodded, and placed her hand gently on Faith's shoulder, leading her back towards the road, as Angel and Spike fell into step behind them.

"No need to say anything B," Faith grinned, "I know I rock."

~o~

Fearing that The First, or some of her vampires may be tracking them, the gang opted not to return to Giles' that evening. Instead, they decided to split up, with Buffy and Angel taking the scroll back to his apartment, claiming they would guard it for the night. Spike had a sneaking suspicion that they were simply looking for an excuse to stay up all night together, but thankful that he wasn't the one walking around with something one of the most powerful Evil forces in the world had their sights set on, he let it be.

Instead, they returned to the bookstore the next morning, the two vampires, and Buffy arriving via the sewers, to meet with the rest of the group and form an actual plan now that they not only knew what was coming, but thanks to The First's taunting, had a timeline as well.

When they arrived, Willow and Faith were already seated in the bookstore, Faith was slumped in a chair rubbing her temple on the same side as the large bruise she'd been blessed with the previous night. Evidently, the adrenaline had worn off, and she was feeling the full extent of the injuries she sustained during her rumble the evening prior. Willow sat next to Faith, her eyes wide as she anxiously awaited the arrival of this mysterious scroll, and Giles sat at the head of the table, looking a little worse for wear. His brow was knitted together in a deep crease, his clothing was rumpled and his hair uncombed. As the trio approached from the back of the bookstore, Buffy frowned at the dishevelled older man, "Giles? What happened to you?" she asked, slipping into the chair next to him. Angel and Spike hung back near the railing to avoid the sunlight.

"I slept in my office last night..." Giles grumbled, "Byron was being a bloody pest, and I only have one room."

"Why didn't you bring him down here?" Willow asked.

"I figured it would be easier to move one grown man down the stairs, rather than two." he sighed, "So? What do we have?"

Buffy pulled the torn leather out of her bag, and slid it across the table to Giles. He unrolled it carefully, then removed his glasses to clean them. Perching them back on his nose, he squinted down at the writing.

"Hmm," he mused after a moment, "It seems relatively simple. Willow, what do you make of it?" he asked, passing the scroll over to the Sorceress.

She took it from him and eagerly scanned it, "Easy-peasy," she exclaimed, "all I'll need are some 'stinky herbs', and whatever weapons we'll be enchanting. Super simple."

Giles nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, well... good then. I guess that's it."

The room fell into awkward silence, as the all looked to each other.

"What do you mean 'that's it'?" Buffy demanded. "That's not 'it' at all!"

"I'm not sure I follow, Buffy, what more do you want us to do?" Giles wondered, as he stifled a yawn, "The spell is fairly straightforward, we've figured it out; we can all go home, and perhaps I can finally get that nasty little bugger out of my living room."

Buffy stared blankly at Giles, he must have had a really terrible night's sleep to be this cranky, normally he was the over-planner, "But Giles, we have three days to figure this out! _Three days_ before all Hell could potentially break lose!"

"Yes, well, in three days we'll simply cast the spell, enchant our weapons and gather the troops, what more can we do?"

"Giles, there are no troops... it's just us. There aren't any other Slayers with superhuman strength to round up and charge into battle with! We need a plan!"

Just as Buffy finished her sentence, Lily burst through the front door of the shop, Olly stumbling in close behind her, "I have a plan!" she announced excitedly as she rushed towards the table smiling from ear to ear.

Buffy turned back to Giles, "See Giles? This is what I'm talking about."

"What sort of plan?" Giles asked, turning to Lily.

"It's a good plan." Olly stated, wrapping his arm around his girlfriend's shoulders and grinning proudly.

"Well? Out with it then, Pixie!" Spike said.

With a smile still plastered on her face, Lily stepped away from Olly, "I-I could show you!" she said, and held her cupped hands out in front of her. She took a breath, but then paused, and looked back to Spike and Angel, "You guys might want to stay back..."

She closed her eyes, and a slight crease formed on her brow as she concentrated all her energy on the task at hand. She whispered something in Latin, and a spark ignited between her hands. It began to grow slowly into an orb, and became brighter and brighter. The others felt the need to shield their eyes from the light it was giving off, while Angel and Spike were forced to look away. Small ribbons of fire began to loop and arc away from the ball of light, before Lily dropped her hands, and it was extinguished.

The others blinked the spots away from their vision, "Did you just make a -" Giles began.

"A sun!" Lily exclaimed, "It's as big as I can get it, but I thought maybe Willow could sustain it better than I could."

Faith frowned, "Okay, maybe I got hit on the head too hard last night, but how is that a plan?" she asked.

"Well, we know The First has rounded up all the vampires in town, right?" Lily began, "So obviously when It attacks, it'll be at night-"

"And if we conjure a sun, it'll instantly wipe them all out!" Willow exclaimed.

"Exactly!" Lily agreed, "I mean, we're not exactly an army here, I figured if we can diminish their ranks it'll give us a leg up."

Buffy smiled sadly at Lily, she admired her ingenuity, "It's brilliant Lily, but you're forgetting one small detail,"

"What?" she asked with a frown.

"Us," Angel said, gesturing to Spike and himself, "If you guys are fighting in the daylight, it puts us down for the count."

"Ah! But she thought of that!" Olly blurted, "Tell them the rest of it!" he told Lily, squeezing her arm affectionately.

"I can conjure a forcefield for you guys."

"It's true, she tested it on me," Olly agreed.

"You'll be completely protected from the sun's rays, but you'll still be able to fight."

"I must say, I'm impressed, Pixie." Spike voiced.

Angel was as well. The young woman had caught on to the magical realm relatively quickly from what he'd seen, though she did have an excellent tutor. He felt a little guilty, however, that instead of being thankful that they had a solution for their lack of numbers, he was thinking how amazing it would be to finally have another chance to see Buffy in the sunlight.

"Yes, this is quite impressive Lily," Giles praised, "Have a seat you two, and we'll discuss this more in-depth." it may have just been the exhaustion talking, but Giles was happy for once that he wasn't the one coming up with a plan of attack.

~o~

**Things are cooking on the battle front!  
The fight with the First at the motel was I think the only one I really enjoyed writing, usually I feel like I just end up not making sense, but I'm pretty proud of this one!**  
**I've finally revealed what Lily was working on all those chapters ago, and I'm hoping that the gang's Slayer-army-less situation looks a little less bleak... that, or the whole thing just seems hokey... if that's the case, what do you want from me? I'm not Joss.**

**Only _four more_ chapters to go! I think given the recent insanity in my personal life it hasn't really hit me full-force, but I think it's gonna depress me when this is over... it's been a huge chunk of my life for almost two years now... what the hell am I going to do with my time after this? I'll have to get a real life... yikes!**

**Until next week! **

**Review and let me know you still love me despite my brief disappearance! :p **


	59. Chapter 59: Surprises

**It feels good to be updating regularly again! Three chapters left after this... :(**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

* * *

"_We are caught up  
__In our failure,  
__Now our union  
__Is our saviour,  
__It's the only way_"  
- "Deconstruct" by Epica

Chapter 59: Suprises

"You can't just throw me out there!" Byron bellowed as Buffy dragged him by the arm towards Giles' front door. The older man leaned against his kitchen counter, his arms crossed and his face twisted in an amused smirk as he watched his Slayer haul the menace away.

"We can, and we are." Buffy answered nonchalantly, pulling the front door open and attempted to fling Byron out into the night.

He caught the door frame, and wedged himself back into the apartment. "You don't know what she'll do to me!" he whimpered, "She's got every vampire in town out to kill me! I don't stand a chance!"

"Well," Buffy sighed, "You should have thought of that before you aligned yourself with forces of evil." she gave Byron one last push, he stumbled backwards into the balcony railing. "Bye now."

"You can't tell me you'll be able to live with my death on your conscience!"Byron wailed.

"You know, I think we'll find a way to survive." Buffy replied with a smirk. Perhaps, under different circumstances she would feel guilty for throwing an innocent human out into the night as vampire bait. However, this was a human who had sent a deadly assassin after one of her closest friends... she was willing to turn a blind eye to what became of him.

"Perhaps you should just take this as motivation to get out of town." Giles added, stepping into the doorway behind Buffy, "The quicker, the better for your health."

Byron scowled at the pair, speechless.

"Have a safe trip Byron. Maybe we'll see each other again one day, when I'm not so distracted by the end of the world, and I can kick your well-deserving ass." Buffy chirped, and with a wave, slammed the door in Byron's face.

Giles cranked the lock on the door and sighed in relief.

"We weren't too harsh, were we?" Buffy asked with a grin.

Giles chuckled, "Oh no, not at all." He crossed to the sofa and fell into it with a smile on his face. It felt nice to have his apartment to himself again, one night sharing it with someone as obnoxious as Byron Travers was one night too many in his opinion. "Are you patrolling tonight?" he asked.

"No," Buffy answered, joining him in the living room and sinking into the armchair across from him, "We decided it would be better to lay low until the big fight, just in case the Cruoris are out there lurking around."

Giles nodded, removing his glasses to massage the bridge of his nose.

"Giles?" Buffy asked with a frown.

"Yes?"

"You don't think the town is going to implode like Sunnydale, do you? Cause I think two more nights is a little short notice for a mass evacuation..."

Giles sighed, "I really don't know what to expect Buffy,"

"Gee, you'd think we'd be able to write the book on Apocalypses by now." she replied grimly.

Giles chuckled again, "If life fighting alongside you has taught me anything Buffy, it's that you never know what to expect."

Buffy smiled. She tried to imagine how this bizarre twist that was the past almost two years of her life would have ended up if serendipity hadn't sent Giles to Braebrook, she didn't think it would have gone well. "I'm really glad you were here Giles, I don't know what I would have done on my own."

"I think it would have been confusing, but you would have pulled through. You always find a way to land on your feet Buffy, and that has nothing to do with me." he answered.

Buffy felt her cheeks grow hot. With everything that had been going on, it had been awhile since she'd had any quality time to spend with her mentor. She checked the time on her cell phone, and was disappointed that she would have to cut things short. "I should get going, I told Angel I'd meet him soon." she said, rising from her seat.

"Of course, I'm sure you'd rather spend the next few nights with him rather than an old fuddy-duddy like myself." Giles replied.

Buffy frowned, "That's not true..." she trailed off, noting the smirk on the older man's face, "You're teasing me... since when do you tease me?"

Giles simply kept on grinning, "Have a good night Buffy."

She crossed to the door, and pushed aside the curtain to make sure Byron wasn't still loitering outside. She paused, then turned back to Giles, "Thank you, by the way, for being so accepting of me and Angel again. I know... I know it was never easy for you to have him around after..." Buffy trailed off, she never liked speaking of the woman that Angelus had taken away from the man she grew to love as a father.

The expression on Giles' face became a little more forlorn. After it was said and done, he and Buffy had never spoke of Jenny Calendar. He knew Buffy had felt responsible, and once Angel had returned from Hell he figured it would make it easier to accept him back fighting on their side if he acted as though the incident had ever occurred. "It took awhile for me to acknowledge, but Angel and Angelus are not the same. I can't hold him responsible for the actions of the demon." he began, "He's helped us far too much in our battles, and has shown far too much devotion towards you, for me to hold any sort of grudge towards him."

Buffy smiled warmly, "Thank you Giles." she murmured.

"That being said," he continued, "If he ever hurts you again, I won't hesitate to stake him."

Buffy giggled, "Point taken. Have a good night, Giles."

"You too Buffy," he watched her pull open the door, smiling proudly, however, his smile was soon turned into a confused frown once he discovered four young women standing on the other side.

Buffy's eyes grew wide in shock, "Gretchen?"

The woman with wild red hair, standing in the middle of the other three, narrowed her eyes, "Buffy?" she asked hesitantly.

Buffy nodded, "It's me... what are you doing here?" she asked, turning her focus to the other three girls behind her, she recognized two of them. To Gretchen's left, stood a petite Asian girl, her eyes were steely and predatorial as though she were still expecting an attack. She was dressed simply, in black pants and a t-shirt, and her long, shining, jet-black hair was tied back in a braid that draped over her shoulder. This was Xiu, a Slayer Buffy had trained in Shanghai not more than three years ago. Having two older brothers who had taught her Karate, she'd been a quick study, and though she was confused, Buffy had to admit she was happy to see her alive. The other, to Gretchen's right, was Magdalena. She was a statuesque young woman with striking features, and long honey-brown hair that hung in perfect waves down her back. Initially, when Buffy had tracked her down in Brazil, they hadn't gotten off on the best of terms. Magdalena had been poised to sign a contract with an international modelling agency, something Buffy told her was not in her best interests; if she was going to be a target for evil forces, she would need to stay out of the spotlight. Being hot-tempered, she had initially blamed Buffy for ruining her future, but the more she got to know Buffy, the more the spat seemed to be forgotten.

Finally, standing uncomfortably behind Xiu, was a young girl, no more than sixteen. Her hair was much longer than Xiu's, and tied back in a braid as well, her features exotic, almost royal. She eyed Buffy and the other girls nervously, obviously feeling like the odd woman out.

Gretchen turned, and taking her hand gently, pulled her towards Buffy, "This is Daliyah, she's from Cario." Gretchen introduced, "I trained her last year while everyone thought that you... well..." she trailed off.

Daliyah smiled shyly, "Hello," she said quietly, her accent thick.

Buffy smiled warmly at the young girl, trying to make her feel more at ease.

"Daliyah," Gretchen began, "This is Buffy. She doesn't look so tough, we all know how to fight because of her." she teased.

Buffy couldn't help the pang of guilt that shot up through her stomach at Gretchen's words. Yes, they all fought because of her, but they were also all dying because of her. "You guys should get inside," Buffy said, stepping aside and letting the girls file into Giles' apartment.

Giles had since risen from the couch, clearly perplexed upon seeing the former Slayers entering his home, "Gretchen, what on earth are you doing here?" he asked.

"My question exactly," Buffy began, as the girls all took seats at Giles' kitchen table, "Not that I'm not relieved to see you all alive, but you guys should be in hiding... and right now, here is probably the worst place for you guys to do that."

"We're here to fight." Gretchen answered.

Buffy and Giles looked to each other questioningly.

"Are you out of your minds?" Giles asked them.

"Not at all." Magdalena answered, a little aggressively, "We have been cooped up in the Council for months now, doing nothing! We wanted to do something useful!"

"Girls, I appreciate this, really, I do." Buffy sighed, "But I can't ask you to fight, you don't have the same strength you used to, it'll be too dangerous."

"We may not have our strength, Buffy," Xiu began, she spoke slowly, having only learned English in order to converse with Buffy while they trained, "But we still know _how _to fight."

"I'm not sure how much you know about what's going on... but it's big. I don't want you guys risking your lives for this." Buffy argued.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Buffy," Giles interjected, "There have been far too many casualties-"

"That's why we're here!" Gretchen exclaimed, "Do you know we're the only ones left?"

Buffy felt her heart sink as she looked at the four girls sitting before her. She'd known her girls had been mercilessly slaughtered, she knew there hadn't been many who escaped, but to think that only four of the hundreds her and her gang had tracked down were left... it was devastating.

"You can't expect us to hide at the Council while you fight this battle." Gretchen continued, "They killed our friends, girls we fought side-by-side with... they killed you." she paused, her jaw clenched tightly as though she were holding back her emotions, "We know we'll be in danger, but you need help, and we want to make things right again... for everyone they took away from us."

Buffy looked to Giles apprehensively, he simply shrugged. They both knew Gretchen well enough to know that it was impossible to change her mind, she was as stubborn as both Buffy and Faith combined. She looked to the other girls, all of them wearing the same determined expression. "Alright," Buffy sighed, "We'll figure something out."

The Slayers smiled, clearly feeling relieved to finally be doing something helpful.

"I have to ask," Giles said, "How did you know where to find us?"

"Oh that was easy," Gretchen replied, "Faith told us."

~o~

Spike rolled over onto his back, panting. It was unnecessary, but a habit nonetheless, "Do you think this was a bad idea?" he asked.

From next to him, came a sigh, and Faith pulled the bed sheets up tighter around her, "Why do you say that?"

Spike shrugged, "I don't know..." he opened his mouth to continue, but no arguments were coming to mind.

"If you're worried about Buffy getting jealous," Faith giggled, "I think that ship has sailed."

"Oh sod off!" Spike grumbled, "It was fun while it lasted, but it's over and done with; she and Peaches have my blessin'"

"Oh how noble of you." Faith laughed, rolling over onto her side, and propping her head up in her hand.

"Are you always this mean after sex? Cause I may have to ask you to leave." Spike teased.

"This is my bed, asshole."

"Right... well, you're off the hook this time then, Love." he stretched, and crossed his arms behind his head with a cocky grin on his face.

"Anyway, I don't see how it could be a bad idea to have a little fun before keeping the world from ending... again." Faith reasoned.

"I s'pose you're right," Spike agreed, reaching towards his pants which were lying in a rumpled heap on the ground. He dug around in the pocket, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Taking one from the carton, he tossed it onto the bedside table carelessly, before placing the cigarette between his lips, and sparking the lighter at the other end. He took a long haul as he settled back into the pillows.

Faith jabbed him in the ribs, "Hey!" she exclaimed.

Spike looked to her with his brow knitted together, then looked down to the cigarette between his fingers, "Oh... sorry Ducks, I forget about that whole breathin' thing sometimes..." he apologized as he sat up, looking for something to put it out in.

"No, you jerk," she sighed, "I'm waiting for you to share!". She snatched the cigarette from his hand and took a long drag, she puffed out a few smoke rings before exhaling the rest of the smoke, "I figure, I've already exceeded my life expectancy, my number's bound to come up soon enough... so why should I give a shit about my lungs?"

Spike plucked the cigarette from between her fingertips, "Cheers to that."

They were suddenly, and rudely interrupted by a knock at the door.

"I'll get it." Faith sighed, slipping out of bed, and throwing on Spike's discarded t-shirt. She padded across the small studio apartment to the door, and pulled it open. Buffy stood on the other side, her arms crossed and a very unimpressed expression on her face.

"Funny story," she began, "So I'm having a nice heart-to-heart with Giles at his apartment, when all of a sudden, Gretchen and her band of merry men show up at his door, claiming that you encouraged them to sneak out of Council headquarters, and come down here to fight." she pushed past Faith into the small apartment, but immediately turned back to face the door where Faith was standing, "What do you know about that?" Buffy looked down suddenly, at Faith's bare legs, "Do I want to know why you're not wearing pants?"

"Probably not, Love." came a voice from behind her.

Buffy visibly paled, then turned slowly, to discover Spike lounging comfortably in bed, the sheets barely covering him, "Oh... God..." Buffy muttered.

"Oh, don't be like that Buffy! It's not like it's anything you haven't seen before!" He took another drag of his cigarette.

"I think I need to go and bleach my brain... oh the mental images..."

"What? You think you and Angel are the only ones allowed to have any fun? We're just celebrating the end of the world and whatnot!" Spike grinned.

"Maybe we should talk about Gretchen later." Faith offered, a sheepish, yet mischievous smile on her lips.

"Yeah! And maybe you two can compare notes at the same time!" Spike said with a wink.

"Never. Never, never ever." Buffy shuddered before turning back to Faith, "We'll talk later.". She turned, and exited the apartment.

"Love you, B!" Faith called after her, before shutting the door and turning back to Spike, "Where were we?"

~o~

"So, Faith and Spike?" Willow giggled as she walked down the street with Buffy and Lily towards the bookstore. It was just before sundown, and they were meeting with the newly arrived Slayers to discuss their plan.

Buffy nodded, an uneasy expression on her face as she recalled what she'd walked into the night before.

"I think they'd make a cute couple, actually," Lily said.

"I don't think either of them are really looking for a relationship right now..." Buffy winced.

Willow smiled, "Well good for them!" she frowned at Buffy's expression, "What else do you want me to say?"

"I've been traumatized here, Will."

"They're both adults Buffy, they can get freaky if they want to..." Willow trailed off as she noticed Buffy cringing.

"Just think of happier things," Lily offered, "Like Angel!"

Buffy couldn't help the smile that formed on her face at the mention of his name.

"Things are still going good?" Willow asked.

"Things are still... amazing." she sighed, "I'm still waiting for something to come along and ruin it all." she chuckled.

"Don't." Willow answered, "You guys deserve this after everything you've been through, I'm happy for you guys."

"Thanks Will." Buffy replied.

"And maybe, if you think about it, Faith and Spike deserve it too." Lily offered.

Buffy smirked, "You might be right, Lil, but I never want to see it again." she said as she pulled open the door to the bookstore and stepped inside, followed by her two closest friends.

Giles was already seated at the table with the four Slayers and Faith. Angel and Spike would only be arriving once the sun went down, which left Olly as the only one missing. He burst through the door just a few seconds later.

"Am I late? I'm not late, am I?" he rambled, when his eyes fell on Magdalena who watched him with a perplexed expression from her seat, "Hello..." he said.

Lily scowled, and smacked him in the chest.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, before wrapping his arm around Lily's waist and pulling her towards him, "I love you?" he offered.

"That's right, you do." she whispered, shaking a finger in his face mockingly.

"We're all here for now?" Buffy asked.

"Yes," Giles answered, "The girls have been filled in on the plan of attack. Since we can assume The First has no idea they're here, and that they are no longer targets for the Cruoris', we've decided it would be best if they work in pairs to take them out." Giles explained.

"Good," Buffy agreed, "We still don't know how many of us are being targeted. If Lily or Olly are on their radar, they'll need some back up, especially while Lily and Willow are performing their spells."

"There's still one big giant gaping hole in this plan though," Faith added.

"What?" Willow asked.

"The Hellmouth. How do we close it for good?"

"I think I may have that covered, actually," Giles revealed, "I got a rather _angry_ phone call from Carter Ashcroft early this morning," he began, shooting a rather pointed look at Gretchen and the other Slayers, "And after I assured him that his missing Slayers were in good health, I asked him if he knew of any other writings that may refer to The Guardian and the Hellmouth here in Braebrook. He believes he has something that may be of use to us, and is having it shipped over here express. I should have it by morning."

"Well that's good," Buffy nodded, "I mean, we're cutting it close... but it's good."

"Or if there's nothing useful there, I'm sure I could put a temporary seal on it," Willow suggested, "Something that will at least last long enough for us to get rid of The First, and find a better solution."

Giles nodded, and the rest of the room remained silent, it seemed they had their plan laid out. Giles was just about to dismiss the gang, when the door to the shop flew open, and Spike and Angel strolled through.

"Right then! What did we miss?" Spike asked before stopping abruptly in the middle of the room.

Gretchen jumped out of her seat, a wide grin on her face.

"I'll be damned, she was tellin' the truth... Gret?"

"Spike!" Gretchen laughed, rushing towards the vampire and throwing her arms around his neck, "Bloody hell, you're as cold as ice..." she exclaimed, "So it's true then? You've gone and gotten yourself all vampy again? Tough luck, mate."

"Yep, I'm all 'vampy'... and all soul-y because someone was feelin' a little vindictive." he scoffed, shooting a glare towards Buffy, "But un-life goes on." he looked past Gretchen, at the three other girls sitting at the table, "Maggie! Lookin' lovely as always, Doll." he greeted the Brazilian with a wink.

She rolled her eyes, "It's never going to happen Spike."

"Can't blame a bloke for tryin'." he shrugged.

During the exchange, Gretchen's focus had drifted to the vampire standing at Spike's side. She frowned, "I know you..." she said, "You were at the Council."

"You didn't tell her who you were?" Buffy asked Angel in amusement, as she rose from her seat to greet him.

"There were more pressing matters to deal with." he replied.

Buffy shook her head, "It's Angel, Gretchen," Buffy explained, "He sorta did the whole body-swap thing like me..."

"You're kidding me." Gretchen answered.

"I wish she was, but he's the Poof alright." Spike chuckled as Angel shot him a dangerous look, "And guess what? They've finally come 'round to their senses, and gotten back together!"

"Well it's about bloody time!" Gretchen laughed, "Did anyone win the pool?"

"Yeah, this is all very amusing," Buffy sighed, "Are we done Giles?"

Giles smirked, the newcomers seemed to have lifted everyone's spirits slightly, "Ah, yes, I suppose for now. We should reconvene tomorrow afternoon when I receive the book Carter sent me, to see if there isn't anything we can do about sealing the Hellmouth."

"Right. Well, we're going to go rest up then." Buffy said, "Big night tomorrow."

"Uh huh, 'rest up'... hey, Spike, you think we should do the same?" Faith asked with a smirk.

"Oh, I don't know Ducks, but perhaps it would be beneficial... yeah."

Buffy glared at the pair, "You guys are gross." she muttered, "I'll fill you in." she said to Angel before grabbing his hand, and leading him out of the bookstore.

Giles looked to the others in the room, perplexed, "Have I missed something?"

~o~

**So this chapter and the next are mostly filler unfortunately. I figured some slight comic relief couldn't hurt with impending doom looming overhead.**

**Byron is finally gone, and I brought in a bit of back-up for the big battle! I know four powerless Slayers isn't much, but I didn't want to write a bunch of faceless Slayers, and I didn't want to complicate the ending by suddenly throwing all these extra characters at everyone, so I figured four was a good number. I was looking for an excuse to bring Gretchen back anyway.**

**Now, onto the issue I'm sure everyone wants to hear about: Faith and Spike. I know a lot of authors pair them together, and initially I had no intention to link them romantically whatsoever, although the more I wrote them together, the more I felt it was only natural for it to progress that way. I don't think I could ever write them in love, I see them in more of a friends with benefits type of situation. I feel like they would have good chemistry together, and wouldn't balk at an opportunity to help each other out physically, if you catch my drift... ;)**

**Anyway, stay tuned for some B/A fluff next week!**


	60. Chapter 60: One Last Night

**So sorry for the delay folks! I literally spent the entire day working on this stupid project for work. I would tell you why I was wasting my entire Sunday doing something work-related, but that story is a novel all on its own, so I won't bore you with it, and let you get on with the reading!  
This chapter is pretty much just filler and fluff before the epic battle which I will be posting next week! (At least I hope it's epic... writing battle sequences is not my forte...)  
Enjoy! **

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

* * *

"_Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup  
They slither while they pass, they slip away across the universe  
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my opened mind  
Possessing and caressing me"  
_- "Across the Universe" by The Beatles

Chapter 60: One Last Night

Lily sighed as she pulled her cell phone away from her ear for the third time, and tossed it onto the bedside table with a pout, "She's still not answering" she sighed.

"Well of course not!" Olly answered, hopping onto the bed beside her, "The world could end tomorrow night, and she's with Angel... doing things that we should be doing." he waggled his eyebrows at her, but she just rolled her eyes and pushed him away.

"I know... but I thought we could hang out before we all go ka-boom."

"We don't know that we're going to go 'ka-boom' – at least not for sure," he comforted her, "Besides, we can see her tomorrow afternoon and Angel can't, cause, you know, sunlight equals burning man in his case."

"I guess you're right," Lily grinned. Olly stretched out his arm and she tucked herself into his side. They sat quietly for a moment before Lily spoke again, "What do you think is going to happen tomorrow night?" she whispered.

Olly frowned, he'd been trying very hard not to think about the looming battle. Aside from a night patrolling with Spike here and there while Angel had been out of town, his only big battle had been against The Guardian... he really didn't know what to expect, or what would happen to him, or his best friend. "I'm as clueless as you are Lil..." he admitted.

"We'll be okay though, right? Cause we have Buffy, and Faith, and Angel and Spike... and they know what they're doing! Plus we have those other Slayers now too! So... we can't lose, right?"

Olly looked down at his girlfriend's wide and pleading eyes, he couldn't bear to tell her that he was as afraid as she was. He wanted their last memories to be good ones.

"Of course we will, Tiger-Lily. We have to be." he answered, with the most convincing smile he could muster.

It must have worked, because she smiled back, and planted a kiss on his cheek before snuggling back down into the crook of his arm.

~o~

Giles knew there was probably a better way for him to spend his last potential night alive than re-reading passages he'd gone over already a million times. However, he knew that the work of a Watcher (even a technically fired and/or retired one) was never done; he wanted to make sure he had every bit of information they would need for the pending battle... or perhaps he'd simply looked death in the face so many times now that he wasn't as worried as he had been in the past. Yes, of course it would be terrifying if they failed, and all Hell broke out on Earth, but for some reason it didn't frighten him.

He didn't have time unfortunately, to ponder the pro's and con's of his lack of fear, as a knock sounded at his door. He rose from the kitchen table, and pulled it open to discover Spike on the other side.

"Well Ol' Chap, what'd'ya say?" he asked, a hint of slurring in his speech, as he held up a rather large bottle of Scotch next to his face, "Shall we drink to another Apocalypse?"

Giles couldn't help but smirk at the slightly tipsy vampire standing in front of him. Clearly he'd begun the party before reaching his apartment, "Don't you have other places you could be, Spike?" he asked.

"Not really, no." the vampire admitted, "Faith's decided to have a little girl's night with the other Slayers... she figures they should have one last hurrah before we all get sucked into an abyss or something of the like. Red's resting up, says she needs to hone her powers and whatnot for tomorrow, and God only know's what Buffy and Peaches are doing..." he smirked, noting the older man's scowl, "Which leaves you and me... and a bottle of Macallan."

Giles sighed, he would feel guilty turning Spike away, leaving him to spend the evening alone, when it could potentially be the last one he'd see. He stepped aside, and let Spike bound past him into the apartment. He set the bottle down on the coffee table, and fell back into the sofa as Giles crossed to the kitchen to fetch some tumblers out of the cupboard.

"What's all this then?" Spike asked, nodding towards the mess of books and papers laid out over the kitchen table.

"Well, I was going to spend the evening going over our research. Making sure we weren't missing or forgetting anything." he replied.

"You are one boring old sod, you know that?" Spike sighed, taking the glasses from Giles' hands and placing them next to the bottle on the coffee table.

"Yes, because heading into a battle that will determine the fate of this town with a hangover, is a brilliant idea." Giles snipped.

"The way I see it; if you're already hurtin', what's a punch in the face gonna do really?" Spike chuckled, as he unscrewed the bottle cap and began to pour.

"You weren't drinking out of the bottle before, were you?" Giles asked, making a face.

"It's not like I'm gonna give you cooties, mate. I'm dead." Spike teased as he thrust the glass towards the Watcher.

Giles couldn't help the amused grin on his face as he took the glass, and held it out in front of him.

Spike followed suit, and clinked his glass against the edge of Giles'.

"To the end of the World... again."

~o~

Buffy knew she should have put on more than Angel's button-down shirt, as the cold wind caused her to shiver. She stared out over the city, the sprawling graveyard just barely visible in the distance. She had pulled back Angel's thick curtains the other night to discover that he'd been hiding a balcony with quite the view from her all this time. After causing him to feel guilty with all her pouting, he confessed that he only ever ended up brooding out there by himself, and had stopped using it. She found it ironic that she had come outside now on her own, to do just that. She kept up a brave front for her friends, but the battle looming tomorrow night had her worried. There were only four of them with any sort of supernatural strength, against a veritable army of vampires and demonic assassins... not to mention that they were being led by one of the darkest and most powerful forces she'd ever faced. She thought back to her last battle against The First, Sunnydale had been decimated by the war they'd waged. Sure, this Hellmouth was supposedly just a leak from the other, but they had no idea how much devastation it could cause, or if they'd even be able to close it properly. She hoped that the oversized cemetery would leave enough room for error, and that the town would remain veritably untouched from the violence.

She was shaken from her thoughts by a pair of strong arms entwining around her waist, she leaned back into his broad chest and sighed.

"You're cold." Angel observed.

"So are you." she smirked.

She felt Angel's chin rest on the top of her head, "What are you doing out here? I woke up all alone."

"Brooding." she answered.

She looked up at Angel, who grinned down at her, "There's only room for one brooder in this relationship," he told her.

"Well, I think you've filled your quota, I figured I could take over now."

Angel chuckled, and tightened his arms around her before falling silent again. "Don't worry Buffy, everyone knows what they're getting themselves into."

"I know, so why am I the only one freaking out?"

"Because they trust you. You need to stop doubting yourself."

Buffy sighed, "We're outnumbered, under-prepared... there's too much room for things to go terribly wrong."

"Things will always go wrong, that's why we keep fighting." Angel replied softly.

"I know. I just don't want anyone else to get hurt." she whispered.

Angel couldn't see her face, but he knew Buffy was thinking of Xander again, and worrying that another one of her friends will end up falling like he did. He turned her to face him; though she looked so young and innocent once more, her true age, the scars she wore from all the battles she'd fought, showed through her eyes, "We're always going to lose people along the way. I wish as much as you do that it was something we could change."

Buffy smiled up at him grimly, "Why can't you just be like normal boyfriends and tell me that everything is going to be okay, and that I've got nothing to be afraid of?"

Angel returned the smile, "Because I know you're too smart for that."

Her grimace turned into a genuine smile, and Buffy stretched up on her tip toes to press a kiss to Angel's lips, "Stay safe tomorrow?" she asked softly. Gazing up into his warm eyes she felt her heart clench at the thought of something tearing Angel out of her life again, it would be too much to bear this time around.

"Only if you do." he whispered against her lips before capturing them with his own again, as he began to take tiny steps backwards towards the door, leading his beloved back into the safety and warmth of the apartment.

~o~

**Like I said, short and sweet! **

**I need my muse to come up with a plotline that will allow for more B/A fluff... all my story ideas are far too angsty (as you will discover once I finish the one I'm working on currently and start posting it)!**

**Anyway, unfortunately that's all I have for you this week! Next week will be the big battle scene! I can't believe this story is winding down... it feels so strange.**

**Until then! **


	61. Chapter 61: The First and the Last

**Sorry for the delay_ again_ folks, having a hectic couple of months!**

**Also, I think part of me did it on purpose because I don't want it to be over! :p**

**So, after much thought, I decided it wouldn't really make sense to not post the last two chapters together. As sad as it makes me to let this story go, Chapter 62 is pretty much just an epilogue, and it would be mean to make all of you wait another week for that! I mean, this isn't the third part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy here!  
****So, without further ado, here's the battle everyone has been waiting for!**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

**Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!**

* * *

_"No one's going to take me alive  
The time has come to make things right  
You and I must fight for our rights  
You and I must fight to survive"  
_- "Knights of Cydonia" by Muse

Chapter 61: The First and the Last

Buffy and Angel's tranquil demeanour was severely shaken when they arrived at the bookstore via the tunnels early the next morning. The others were sitting tensely around the table; whittling stakes, picking at their nails, anything to keep them busy, with Giles nowhere to be found.

"Well, we're a lively bunch..." Buffy mused, as she approached the table, "What's going on?"

"The book from Ashcroft arrived a little while ago," Olly explained, "Giles immediately holed himself up in his office and hasn't come out since."

Buffy couldn't help but smirk, it was so very typical of Giles to get overly excited about a book.

"That doesn't change the fact that we have a battle to fight tonight," Angel stated, "let's get some weapons prepped."

Olly followed closely behind him as Angel crossed to the register counter and opened the cupboards underneath. He began pulling out various axes, crossbows, swords, and piling them on top of the counter for the others to grab. Buffy simply watched him admiringly as he took charge of the room, she didn't know how long she'd stood there, biting her bottom lip, but she was shaken out of her reverie by a sharp poke in the ribs and the sound of Lily giggling.

"Stop drooling."

Buffy turned to grin down at her friend, before sinking into the chair next to her. Lily had a spell book open in front of her, Buffy couldn't read a word of it, but the few tidbits of Latin she'd picked up over the years led her to believe they were offensive spells. "Sorry I missed your phone call last night."

"No biggie," Lily answered, "I know you had a good excuse," she grinned, casting a glance towards Angel.

Buffy rolled her eyes, "Stop it!"

"Stop what?" Willow asked, approaching Lily's side.

"Teasing Buffy about Angel."

"Ooh! Can I play?" Willow asked with a cheeky grin as she slid into the closest chair.

"Okay you guys," Buffy sighed. Her attention went back to the spell book sitting on the table, and she thumbed at the pages, "Are you two ready for tonight?"

"More than ready." Lily answered.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

"_Sure,_ sure?"

"How many times have I been through this with you now? And Lily's good, really good. We're as ready as we'll ever be." Willow said, trying to ease the Slayer's nerves.

"I know Will, I just want to make sure. Everyone needs to be careful-"

"Buffy," Willow interrupted, "Stop it."

Buffy's mouth snapped shut at the forcefulness of her voice.

"Sorry," she apologized sheepishly, "But Buffy... what-what happened to Xander..." she paused after speaking his name, needing a moment to force down the grief that sprung up inside her, "It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have done anything to prevent it."

Buffy could feel the prickling of tears behind her eyes, and she looked down at her lap, away from the sorrowful gaze of her oldest and closest friend. They had never spoke of the accident, there was nothing to say; they both knew that the gaping hole Xander's loss had left in their hearts could never be filled.

"I just want everyone to be safe." Buffy whispered.

"We will be. As long as you believe in us, and trust us to do what we need to do." Willow assured her, "We know what we're getting ourselves into... and we're all tougher than we look." she added with a crooked grin.

Buffy smiled back, she hated to admit that Willow was right. She knew that ever since she'd come back as Madeline, she'd been overly protective of everyone who fought alongside her, overly cautious of who did what. She also knew that it needed to stop. There had been a time when she would have expected her friends to follow her into combat, no questions asked. She still needed them by her side, and the constant negativity regarding their abilities wasn't helping anyone.

She took both one of Willow's and one of Lily's hands in each of hers, and squeezed tightly, "Kick some ass." she said.

The two Witches grinned back.

Their exchange was cut short by the sound of Giles' office door being flung open unceremoniously, and Giles rushed down the stairs with a large weathered, and partially charred, book in his hands.

"Brilliant! This is... just brilliant!" he laughed.

"Uh oh. He's in British mode." Faith teased as she polished the blade of a rather hefty axe.

"Usually that just means he's found something he deems excitin'." Spike drawled.

"What is it Giles?" Buffy asked, turning in her chair.

"This is one of the few Watcher's Diaries salvaged from the remains of the original Council building... I wasn't sure why Carter sent it to me... but it turns out it is the diary of one of the Watchers who was sent here to Braebrook in the 1800's to help close the leak in the Sunnydale Hellmouth. He'd transcribed the ritual used to call forth The Guardian." Giles explained excitedly.

"You think we can re-use the ritual?" Angel asked.

"I think it's our best shot." Giles answered.

"What do you need to do?" Willow asked, certain it would be something she would end up doing.

"Actually, it's fairly simple and straightforward. I believe I'll be able to execute it myself... if you ladies would be so kind as to keep me from being disrupted." he answered, glancing between Willow and Lily.

"Consider it done." Willow answered enthusiastically.

"Good. Now, all I need is a dagger, some Vervian, Blessed Thistle..."

Lily had rounded the table to peer over his shoulder at the list of ingredients as he spoke, "I'll go to the Magic Shop!" she chirped, and promptly rushed out the door.

"She was a little too excited about doing that..." Olly muttered absent-mindedly.

"I guess that means I'll be keeping The First busy until you can conjure up a new Guardian?" Buffy asked.

"... Yes, I suppose that would be the easiest option. Well, perhaps not easy, but most logical." Giles nodded.

"Right," Buffy answered with a wry smile, rising from her chair and crossing to the register counter where the remaining weapons were still piled. She slid a broadsword out from the pile, and inspected the blade carefully before turning back to the group sitting around the table, "Who's ready for a fight?"

~o~

Once the sun had sunk below the horizon, their tiny brigade marched towards the cemetery solemnly. Despite the stillness of the night, the air crackled with energy, something was coming, and they could all feel it. As Buffy lead the group through the cemetery gates, she tightened her grip on the sword she carried, and cast a glance sideways to Angel. He caught her gaze, and smiled reassuringly. She smiled back, thankful to have him – and everyone else – at her side. She was still nervous, she could feel the hum of adrenaline throughout her body, but she trusted her friends, she had to.

Cautiously, they stalked towards the ruins of the church. There was no one in sight and it set her on edge.

"I don't like the looks of this," Gretchen muttered, raising her axe to a striking position, and scanning the trees.

"If they're not here yet, Giles should start the spell," Willow whispered, "It'll save time."

Buffy nodded, "Right." she turned, peering through the trees alongside Gretchen, before turning back to the others, "Spike, Faith, Gretchen: head further into the cemetery, make sure they didn't enter from the back. We'll stay here and guard the front gates."

"We're on it, Pet." Spike replied, before taking off into the brush with the two women.

They barely had time to settle into their positions, and Giles barely had time to even open the book to the ritual, before the sound of Faith shrieking cut through the silence of the night. Suddenly, Gretchen's limp form came hurdling through the trees, and slamming roughly into the ground, rolled to Buffy's feet.

"Gretchen!" Buffy exclaimed, falling to her knees beside the girl. She groaned, and curled into a ball, and Buffy sighed in relief, she would be okay. "Watch her!" she shouted to Daliyah, before rising to her feet in time to see Angel disappear into the trees. She turned back to Giles, now flanked by both Willow and Lily, "When you hear me shout, start the spell," she instructed the girls, they nodded, before she barrelled through the trees in the direction Angel had gone.

Branches whipped by her, and she arrived at a small clearing where she discovered both Spike and Faith grappling with a Cruoris, and Angel holding his own against two vampires. In the middle of the scuffle, a wicked grin spread on her face, stood The First. Behind her, as far as Buffy could see, stood an ocean of vampires, their eyes all glowing yellow, fangs bared. Mixed in amongst them, were the Cruoris, towering over the undead.

Upon her arrival, a deafening roar rose up from the mob, and The First laughed.

"This is all you've got?" she chuckled, "Oh Buffy... you're really making this too easy for me!"

Buffy's eyes narrowed towards the being, still wearing her old skin, "I still have a few tricks up my sleeve." she answered.

"Really? Then what are you waiting for?" The First hissed.

"This," Buffy grinned, "NOW Willow!" she hollered.

At the sound of her cry, the vampires suddenly rushed all at once, swallowing The First as they stampeded towards Buffy. Before she was entirely circled by the vamps, she saw a shimmering white orb materialize around both Spike and Angel. She hoped it was the forcefield Lily spoke of conjuring, then began to concentrate on taking out as many vampires as she possibly could. Spinning her sword swiftly and expertly, clouds of ash began to swirl around her, when suddenly, a blinding light flashed overhead, and glancing upwards, she saw a giant, glowing orb hovering over the cemetery. Around her, the sounds of agonized screams erupted, as the vampires each burst into flame, either spontaneously combusting on the spot, or attempting to run for shelter as flames ate away at their clothing. Looking away from the orb with spots in her vision, she barely had time to react to the Cruoris that came charging towards her. She ducked under it's massive arm as it swung at her, and using all her strength, she drove her sword through its middle. It roared in pain, and as Buffy tore her weapon out of its side, it crumpled to the ground. Dead. Buffy smiled triumphantly, Xander would be proud. She barely had time to revel in her conquest though, as she looked up, and discovered The First, standing amidst the billowing ash, glowering at Buffy. With a predatorial gleam in her eye, Buffy launched herself over the fallen Cruoris, towards The First, who began to charge towards Buffy, her face twisted in a snarl.

Angel was brought back to the task at hand by a singed and smoking vampire clawing him across the arm . He'd been too busy gawking – no, _admiring_ – Buffy as she slashed her way through the throngs of now smouldering vampires. The sunlight glinted off her blade, and her hair shone like spun gold as she moved. He wished in that moment that they weren't fighting to the death, and he could actually enjoy the vision that stood mere feet away from him. Swinging his axe, the blade sailed through the vampire's neck, and in seconds he was gone. He turned to discover a Cruoris charging him, its arms outstretched. He swung his axe again, taking off the demon's hand. It roared angrily, and attempted to swing at him with his remaining hand, but Angel merely kicked him back, before bringing the axe down on him again. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Faith and Spike not too far away, each fighting tooth and nail against their own Cruoris', and behind him, the former Slayers and Olly had grouped up to do the same, and ensure that nothing got past them to threaten Giles, Willow, or Lily, and the ritual they were about to preform. Xiu worked alongside the slightly injured Gretchen and Olly, and Magdalena watched the younger and less experienced Daliyah's back. Content that their ranks hadn't been compromised, he turned back to the battle, when suddenly, the bright sun-like orb imploded on itself, and the cemetery that stood as their battleground was engulfed in darkness once more. Angel swung at the next Cruoris that attacked, praying silently that Giles and the girls had begun the ritual, and that something hadn't happened to Willow.

Lily's heart was pounding furiously against her chest, but she didn't dare open her eyes and break her concentration. Inhaling deeply, she began to chant again; she and Willow had combined their energy to create a sort of shield around themselves and Giles, while he attempted the ritual in the Watcher's Diary. He stood a few paces behind them, on top of the broken down church wall, reciting a strange language she had never heard before. Taking another deep breath, she felt calmer, or perhaps, she was simply getting used to the erratic feeling of her heartbeat. Her confidence growing, she slowly opened her eyes, and was greeted with the sight of Willow standing in front of her, smiling proudly at her young protegé. Lily felt silly for worrying, she knew Willow was more than powerful enough to generate a shield like this herself, but she was thankful that she was letting her help. Letting her eyes wander behind Willow, she continued chanting as she watched Giles. He tossed a handful of herbs into the centre of the church ruins, then expertly balancing the old tome on his arm, lifted a dagger to slice open the palm of his hand. Lily winced, but Giles' expression remained stoic as he continued to read from the book, his hand held out over the stone floor of the church as small drops of blood dripped to the ground. The ground began to shake, Giles almost lost his balance atop the crumbling wall, but he steadied himself without missing a beat in the text. A yellowish glow began to emit from inside the church ruins, and Lily decided it was time to close her eyes again. Willow squeezed her hands supportively. Everything would be alright.

Buffy wasted no time barrelling towards The First. She raised her sword, and brought it down swiftly, but The First backflipped out of the way, grabbing a rusted metal pipe from beside a pile of ash on the ground before landing on her feet again. The sound of metal clashing against metal rang out through the air as The First swung the pipe at Buffy, and she blocked it with her sword.

"Sunlight... how clever." she growled as the ashes of the fallen vampires swirled around them like dirty snowflakes.

Buffy thrust her sword towards The First, but she parried the attack, "I told you you wouldn't win." she grunted as she drove her opponent back a few more steps.

"Don't jump to conclusions, Buffy, this isn't finished yet." The First lunged towards her, again, and she deflected the blow before countering again. Suddenly, the ground began to tremble beneath them, Buffy blocked another attack, and glanced behind her. She caught eyes with Angel, his expression was as grim and concerned as she imagined her own was, before he turned away to attack another Cruoris. She turned back to The First, and slashed at her a few more times, before glancing in the direction of the church again. The others all seemed to be alright, most were bleeding or bruised, but as far as she could tell, it didn't look like any of the demons had gotten past them. Just as she raised her sword to stop yet another blow delivered by The First, a deafening crack sounded behind her, and the chilling, inhuman shriek she would never forget as long as she lived echoed over their heads. The rumbling continued underfoot, as the shrieking continued, and the giant, inky black wings of the demon Buffy simply knew as The Guardian carried it up over top the trees.

The battle had completely stopped, everyone was rooted in place, staring up at the grotesque creature in wonder, as it extended its long, clawed hand towards the church ruins below, and began to chant in its ancient and unrecognizable language.

Buffy snapped back to reality, as Willow burst out of the shadows, dragging Lily behind her. A Cruoris noticed the new arrivals, and charged towards the Witches with a growl that now seemed rather pitiful compared to that of The Guardian. Without blinking an eye, Willow extended her free hand, and a giant bolt of energy shot from her fingers and sent the demon flying backwards, "Buffy!" Willow shouted, tendrils of white hot energy beginning to swirl around her hand as she prepared for another attack.

Knowing there was no time to waste, Buffy turned back to The First. Her sword still holding back the pipe held in The First's hand, she shot her leg out in front of her, it arced gracefully, yet powerfully, and slammed into The First's wrist. The pipe flew from her grip, and Buffy grabbed the front of her shirt with her free hand, holding her in place as she drove her sword through The First's midsection.

The First cried out in pain, and Buffy looked down, her sword was buried in her abdomen right to the hilt, and black blood began to ooze from the wound, over the weapon, over her hand.

"I told you," Buffy hissed, her nose mere inches from The First's, "You can't win."

The First grimaced, "The one thing you forget Buffy," she wheezed, "Is that you can't defeat me." clamping her hand down on top of Buffy's she pulled the sword free with a spurt of ebony blood. She pressed her hands over the wound, "You may have won this battle... you may have saved this town... but there will always be another... and another... and another..."

"Then I'll be there," Buffy swore, "No matter how many lives you try to ruin, no matter how many people you try to take from me... no matter how many times I have to come back from the dead; I'll stop you."

There was a flash of yellow light, and the ground shook again as another thunderous crack sounded.

The First laughed, and begun to sway weakly, "Until the next time... Slayer."

The Guardian stopped chanting, and swooped over their heads. Buffy could see the tip of its tail had begun to flake, and turn to stone, as it soared over the cemetery, and dove down into the spot where she knew the old angel statue had stood almost a year before.

"Next time." Buffy vowed, and The First evaporated into a billowing cloud of onyx smoke. It swirled around her, faster and faster, creating a wind tunnel like a miniature tornado. Buffy raised her hands, to fight or protect her face, she wasn't sure, when suddenly, with an otherworldly moan, it vanished.

In an instant, Angel was at her side. He pulled her around to face him, holding her up by her elbows even though she didn't need his support. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Buffy looked around the cemetery, everything was coated with a thin layer of ash, the tombstones, the trees, the ground... she looked behind her to see her friends gathering together, inspecting each others injuries. Olly high-fived Gretchen, before turning to pull Lily into a bear hug. Spike had his arm around Faith, who was grinning ear to ear despite the fact she was bleeding profusely from a gash on her head. The former Slayer's were all still standing. Magdalena clutched her arm to her chest as she spoke with Willow, and Xiu heavily favoured her left leg as she limped over to Daliyah, who was covered in bruises, her lip split open, and her hand beginning to swell and turn an ugly purplish colour.

"Yeah, I'm good." Buffy replied finally, turning back to Angel with a relieved smile that he returned eagerly.

"I told you everything would be alright." he teased.

Buffy swatted him playfully on the chest, then paused. She turned back to her celebrating friends, and frowned, "Where's Giles?"

The couple looked to each other, their eyes growing wide in fear before they broke away from each other, sprinting past the others towards the church ruins.

"Giles? Giles?" Buffy cried as she flew through the trees.

"Giles? Can you hear us?" Angel shouted at her side.

Buffy could hear various exclamations from the others, followed by their footsteps as they darted through the trees after them. She came to the clearing where the ruins should be, and staggered to a halt, Angel did the same. In the place where the church foundation had once stood, there was now a giant crater. A portion of the cemetery wall had been demolished, leaving one side of the gate a twisted iron heap, and a bunch of trees at the edge of the clearing had been completely uprooted.

"Oh god..." Gretchen murmured, as the rest of the group caught up with them.

"Giles..." Willow whispered,

"He-he told us to run... to tell you to finish off The First," Lily stammered, clutching Olly's arm.

Buffy's breath caught in her throat, and she reached out to Angel for the support she hadn't needed moments ago. Could it really be? Could Giles have actually been sucked into the Hellmouth? She refused to believe it, as she took a tentative step forward, peering into the crater. She could feel tears begin to prick behind her eyes, when she saw something near the crumbling cemetery wall begin to move. Squinting at it more closely, underneath layers of dirt and dust, and covered in rubble, she could make out the shape of a man. "Giles!" she shouted, and tore towards the dusty being pulling himself loose of the fallen stones, and attempting to brush the dirt from his clothes. He was too preoccupied spitting dust from his mouth, to notice the ecstatic Slayer barrelling towards him, and diving to his side to wrap him in an exuberant hug.

He wheezed, as Buffy squeezed the breath from him, "Ow..." he groaned.

"Sorry! Sorry, Giles... I..." she stammered, pulling back from the older man to look him over. His glasses sat crooked on his face, the wire frames terribly mangled, one of the lenses cracked. If he was bruised, it was hard to tell with the amount of dust that covered him, "You're not sucked into Hell!" she exclaimed before hugging him again.

"No... no thankfully I'm not." he coughed, "Though if I'd known the damage that was about to occur, I would have ran with Willow and Lily,"

Buffy had been too wrapped up in Giles to notice Angel rounding the edge of the crater to meet her, followed by the others. He extended his hand down to Giles, and with Buffy's help, they pulled him up to his feet.

"Nice crater, Mate," Spike said, clapping Giles on the back, eliciting another groan from the man, "Mine was bigger." he grinned.

"So, it's over now? We saved the day again?" Faith asked, peering into the gaping hole before them.

"Yes, as long as The Guardian remains undisturbed, I suppose." Giles answered.

"Well, I could use a celebratory drink in that case." she sighed.

"I hear ya," Gretchen agreed.

Spike simply grinned.

"Maybe we should get patched and cleaned up first?" Willow suggested. She turned to Giles, and looked him up and down before a grin broke out over her face. She bit her lip to try and conceal it.

"Oh, yes, please laugh." he grumbled.

"No! It's a good look for you Giles!" Olly snickered.

"Olly! Stop..." Lily giggled.

Buffy smiled, still helping Angel hold up Giles, as she studied the crater once more. Sure, they'd made a big mess of sacred ground, but she knew it could have been worse. She felt Angel's hand squeeze her arm behind Giles' back, she turned her head to look at him. He was smiling too, proudly, and Buffy felt her face flush.

"So," Spike interrupted, "Two Hellmouths down... how many more to go?"

"Let's not think about that part now." Angel replied, never taking his eyes off Buffy.

"Yeah, that sounds good to me." Buffy agreed.

They all fell silent, standing at the edge of the crater, looking forward to the next day, one they all thought they may not see.

_"Swirling round with this familiar parable  
Spinning, weaving round each new experience  
Recognize this as a holy gift and  
Celebrate this chance to be  
Alive and breathing, the chance to be  
Alive and breathing "  
_- "Parabol" by Tool

~o~

**I'll forego the commentary here so you guys can get onto the next chapter! ;)**


	62. Chapter 62: Full Circle

**I hope the battle was to everyone's liking, I tried my best, action sequences are not my bag!**

**And now, I almost can't believe it, but it's done. It's been a journey, and I'd like to thank all of you that took it with me, especially those of you who took the time to review:  
ashes at midnight (who introduced me to the world of fb fanfic forums :\), SMGbest (who I think literally reviewed every single chapter), Angelluffy, LoupGarouAngel (my first reviewer!), pinkyblue-ice, a2zmom, ILoveSarahSophia, babysayitisn'tso, calilily, LoreoftheFay, philly cheese dude, ESsmich, SunnyKitten, Angel N Darkness, PrincessAlica, ba2006, suzzywuz, and the few random anonymous reviewers! I was hesitant about coming back to the world of fanfic, but you all made it worthwhile.**

**And now, hopefully, I'll have tied this up with a nice pretty bow for you lovely folks.**

Disclaimer: Nothing but the original characters belong to me. All songs quoted through-out the story are owned by their respective artists.

Rating: M-ish, overall (for violence, mild language, maybe some sexual innuendo in later chapters, but there will be absolutely NO smut!)

* * *

"_Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air  
I know I can count on you  
Sometimes I feel like saying 'Lord I just don't care'  
But you've got the love I need to see me through__"_  
- "You've Got The Love" by Florence and the Machine

Chapter 62: Full Circle

_Four Months Later: Edinburgh, Scotland_

An orb of energy rocketed past Buffy's head, close enough that she swore she could smell her hair singeing, before it slammed into the stone wall behind her with an electrical crackle, leaving behind a large, black scorch mark.

"Careful where you point that thing, Lily!" She shouted, before swinging her axe into the reptile-esque demon that was charging towards her.

Lily clenched her fist as she stared at it, wide eyed and shocked. "I'm so sorry!" she wailed over the noise of the battle, before swinging her arm behind her back, hiding the offending appendage.

"Less talking, more conjuring!" Willow winced. Sweat poured down her brow, as she stood with her arms outstretched in front of her, her hands open wide and some sort of energy shooting out of her palms. No more than ten feet in front of her, an older, grey haired man stood in the same position, with energy pouring out of his palms as well, clashing against Willow's. The man, by all means, looked ordinary, save for his snake-like slit pupils, and the fact that he had a veritable hoard of reptile looking demons worshipping him in the underground tunnels of Edinburgh.

"Sorry!" Lily squealed again, before turning away from Buffy, and attempting to throw another orb of energy at a charging demon. This time, she didn't miss, and the demon exploded into flames.

"Nice shot Lil!" Olly shouted over his shoulder, as he hacked at a demon with a large broadsword. Unfortunately, the distraction gave the demon the upper hand, and it knocked Olly to the ground. His sword flew from his grip, "Uh oh..." he muttered. When suddenly, another blade sliced through the demons throat with a swish, and the body fell, revealing Angel as Olly's rescuer.

"What's the first rule of battle?" Angel grunted, before turning to attack another demon.

"Never take your eyes off your opponent..." Olly grumbled, as he scrambled to his feet and retrieved his weapon.

"Right. Now don't forget, cause I'm not saving you next time!" Angel called.

"Buffy!" Olly whined.

"Guys! Fight demons now, argue later!" Buffy barked, as she continued to fight back the demons.

Suddenly, a flash of light illuminated the tunnel, and the old man was thrown backwards through the air. He landed flat on his back, the wind knocked out of him, and Willow's arms fell to her sides.

Buffy immediately somersaulted past the demon she was fighting, then lunging through the air, brought her axe down on the old man's throat. There was a moment of complete silence, before the man's mouth opened, and with a shriek, a green mist began to emit from his mouth and eyes until the body Buffy had decapitated looked like nothing more than a greying husk. The reptile demons, it seemed, suffered the same fate, and the others dropped their guard to survey the surroundings.

"Did we just win?" Willow panted, shaking the tension out of her arms. A tiny bolt of electricity crackled between her fingers as she did so.

"I think so..." Buffy answered, nudging the husk with her toe.

"Great! And with time to spare to go for a pint!" Olly cheered.

"I don't think so buddy, we have our first day of class tomorrow." Lily answered, grabbing his hand, and pulling him toward the tunnel exit. The others followed slowly.

"A whiskey then?" Olly asked.

"Maybe you can convince Giles." Willow drawled.

"Oh, come on you guys! We're in the U.K. It's acceptable to drink anytime!"

Lily rolled her eyes, "You're perpetuating negative stereotypes."

"Am not..."

Buffy listened to her friends bicker with a smile on her face, as they exited the tunnels into a narrow cobblestone close, and turned the corner onto the Royal Mile. After the Hellmouth in Braebrook had closed, the demon activity had slowed considerably. Almost the entire vampire population had been destroyed thanks to Willow, and those who were left were too afraid, and skipped town. With not much left to slay, and no reason to keep up the facade of living as Meredith Cross, Buffy had contacted Ashcroft and Claymore at the Council and asked if they'd kept the manor they'd bought for her as a training facility in Edinburgh; they had, and she'd decided it would be nice to go back the first place she'd considered a home after Sunnydale had been destroyed. Giles, Willow, Spike, Faith, and of course Angel had all supported her decision wholeheartedly. Giles was more than happy to give up the bookstore, and go back to a quieter life, shuttling between the Council in London, and Buffy's base in Edinburgh as needed, doing research behind the scenes. It was more his speed nowadays; the blow he'd taken during the final battle in Braebrook had left him with the need to (begrudgingly) walk with a cane. Willow's interest in magic had been renewed thanks to Lily, and despite having to leave her job at the University, had jumped at a chance to get back into the game with Buffy. Faith and Spike were always up for a new adventure, and had happily became Buffy's roaming demon-slaying team. They were currently in Russia, investigating some suspicious vampire activity, and though there didn't seem to be any further development in way of their 'relationship', Buffy had her suspicions.

She had been worried about breaking the news of leaving Braebrook to Lily and Olly, however when she did, she was delighted and apprehensive to discover that they were both willing to move to Scotland with her. She hadn't wanted them to leave University, she knew that Slaying wasn't their calling, and therefore wasn't a viable long-term choice for either of them. Luckily for her, Claymore and Ashcroft had pulled some strings, and got them both accepted to the University of Edinburgh, where they started classes the following morning.

The other Slayers had returned to England, and were currently training to become Watchers. There would be new Slayers called eventually, and having someone who had seen the front lines of battle would be a wonderful asset for whoever those young ladies would be.

That of course left Angel, who Buffy strolled beside, hand in hand. She slowed their pace, letting the others edge ahead of them further.

"Don't you want to celebrate with your friends?" he asked her quietly.

"Nope, rather celebrate with you." she answered with a brilliant smile.

He smiled back. He'd instantly agreed to come with her, no questions asked. At first, he'd offered to get his own place, an offer Buffy had balked at. After eighteen years of them avoiding each other, there was no way she was spending unnecessary time away from him. Besides, she'd argued, the manor was far too big, even with Lily, Olly and Willow staying there.

Angel smiled back down at her, before turning to survey the quaint storefronts that lined the street. "Seems like everything has come full-circle for you." he mused.

"Not completely," she answered, leaning into his arm.

"How so? You closed a Hellmouth, moved your team to another continent, continued to fight the Good Fight..."

"Yeah, but this time you're here too."

She peered up at him, and could see his eyes twinkling as he smiled.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

Up ahead, Buffy saw Willow turn back to look for them. Upon seeing the couple enjoying some alone time, she simply waved, and continued along with Lily and Olly.

Buffy and Angel each waved back with their free hand, then continued their slow pace. The sky was completely clear, the stars bright, and a slight breeze blew Buffy's hair away from her face. She grinned, despite the recent underground battle, it was a perfect evening.

"How much longer do you think this lull is going to last?" she asked.

"Lull? We just fought an army of giant lizards."

"I know, but apparently that's the small-time compared to what's coming," she explained, arching an eyebrow towards him. She knew he'd understand that she was referring to the vague prophecy the Romani had told him about.

"You know as well as I do that battling evil is unpredictable." Angel answered.

Buffy pouted, "It's what I hate the most."

Angel grinned, "All I can tell you Buffy, is that Giles is researching, and so are the rest of the Watcher's at the Council, so how about we stop thinking about it and just enjoy the moment."

"Stop thinking about what?" Buffy asked in mock innocence.

Angel chuckled, and dropped her hand in order to snake his arm around her waist, "That's my girl." he sighed, planting a kiss on the crown of her head.

Buffy smiled, and nestled further into Angel's side as they continued down the street. She silently thanked her lucky stars that she'd been given this second chance.

Yes, it really was a perfect evening.

The End

~o~

**Fin! Thank you all for reading!**

**Now, before anyone asks, I'm just going to put it out there right away that I don't have plans for a sequel. Just revel in the fact that whatever comes their way, Buffy and Angel have each other, because I don't think I could come up with an epic enough prophecy for a part two!**

**On that note, I will probably disappear for a little bit now while I finish up my next story. I'm a little over 100 pages in, and unless my muse decides to go crazy, or the plot runs away with itself, I'd estimate I'm maybe 2/3 of the way through. I might post the first chapter as a bit of a teaser, but I'm not going to start updating it regularly until I've finished it completely as I want to make sure that there aren't any plot holes that I'm going to have to go back and fix. **

**Thanks again everyone! Until my next story!**

**- Spectral Serenade**


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